Shouts of encouragement and cheers could be heard all along the 26-mile route. Through Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx -- and down Fifth Avenue -- the enthusiasm was contagious.
It was a sunny, crisp autumn day. In Central Park, the leaves have turned many shades -- orange, yellow and red. And, as the sun got lower in the sky, you could see one big tree with completely orange leaves that has a special glow.
So did New York. No event better represents the spirit of the city. At a time when the economic crisis and uncertainty cloud the future, this event brings out the best in us. It is what Mayor Lindsay would have called a ''happening'' -- a unique New York event. The late Fred Lebow, who created the Marathon, had a vision. It would be a quintessential New York event. And it was -- and has been.
At 96th Street and Fifth Avenue, as thousands of runners streamed by, people in the crowd held up signs with such inscriptions as ''Keep going, Matt!'' and ''You're Our Girl, Kathy!''
By the time they reached this corner, many marathoners seemed to be running mainly on will power -- but that's a high-octane fuel. These runners were nearing the promised land, the finish line in the park. One young woman stopped for a few seconds when she recognized members of her family on the sidelines. She kissed her sister and brother-in-law and bent down to kiss their little girl. Then her face flushed and happy she rejoined the pack, smiling as she waved goodbye and resumed the great run.
When you left this corner and walked back into the park, you could still hear the cheers loud and clear. Gradually, as you walked west, the sounds grew fainter, but the impression lingered for those who participated and for the people who witnessed this New York ritual of fall.
Back in 2000, my wife, Vera, decided she would just run over the Verrazano Bridge with the marathoners. Then she would use her metro card to come home. She had not trained for the Marathon but wanted to participate in some small way. When she reached the Brooklyn side of the bridge, she was so exhilarated she decided to keep running. And she did keep running from one borough to another and, finally, to the finish line in Central Park.
She says, ''Next to giving birth it's the most awesome experience I've ever had.'' I don't know about that -- how could I? Vera was born in Norway and Grete Waitz is one of her role models.
But when you stand on a street corner and watch this stream of determined, eager faces go by, you see the very essence of the city: Scores of nationalities, people of all ages and shapes, people seeking to reach the same goal -- straining every muscle and sinew to achieve a dream.
That's New York---those are our people.
