Public Employee Press

Union workers set a fast pace for the marathon

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, says an ancient Chinese proverb.
And the race of 26.2 grueling miles, this year’s New York City Marathon, began weeks before Nov. 4 as District Council37 members prepped the city for the world’s most amazing race.

With the Empire State Building lit in orange and blue, the colors of sponsor ING, the Dutch banking and insurance conglomerate, as backdrop, 100 city workers from the Parks Dept. and the Dept. of Transportation polished the Big Apple for the big race.

Local 1505 members erected thousands of yards of snow fencing to guide crowds in Central Park and assembled bleachers and the dais, which were transported by Motor Vehicle Operators in Local 983.

While they swept the park clean for the big day, Local 299 members posted signs along the race route in the outer boroughs to cheer on the runners and Traffic Enforcement Agents towed vehicles to make way for the throngs of racers and spectators.

The 26.2-mile blue line
Local 1455 Traffic Employees painted the blue line that guides runners along the course. And before dawn on race day, Nov. 4, TBTA maintenance workers in Local 1931 paved the grated roadways of the Verrazano, the 59th Street and 145th Street bridges with non-slip surfaces. PEP Officers and the Parks Supervisors of Local 1508 patrolled park grounds for the safety of runners and spectators.

The official gun fired around 10 a.m. and the final cut — some 38,600 marathoners — took off on the five-borough course. Racers ascended the majestic Verrazano Bridge from Staten Island, paced onto the roadways and hills of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, and finished in personal victories in Manhattan’s verdant Central Park. This year Martin Lel of Kenya won the men’s title in 2 hours, 9 minutes, and world record-holder Paula Radcliffe of England took the women’s title in 2 hours, 23 minutes.

The New York City Marathon is one of the world’s largest with some 90,000 racers applying to compete. With $600,000 in prize money and international fame, the race attracts world-class athletes, celebrities and weekend warriors. The race is a boon to New York City businesses and charities and draws $220 million to the Big Apple. It is televised to more than 314 million viewers worldwide.