This is now my second year of living in New York; today I saw my second New York City Marathon. It should be said first that I have no special interest in sports or sporting events; in fact, I probably have less interest in these things than most people. However, there is something decidedly special and decidedly *different* about the New York Marathon that sets it apart from all other sporting events that I have known.
Thousands upon thousands of strangers come from far and near to cheer streams of runners, most of whom are perfect strangers to each other. They clap and they whoop, shout words of encouragement and smile broadly at the runners. One can see the emotion on the faces of the athletes as they run through these cheering lines, can see that it means something to most of them. So far, I describe a phenomenon that is perhaps not so unlike other sports competitions.
But here is the difference: on an average day, New Yorkers are instead pushing each other on the sidewalks of the city, elbowing each other without a thought in the subway, avoiding each other's eyes on the street, moving expressionless and steely through the day. On the day of the New York Marathon, many New Yorkers actually *look* at each other, and moreover do so with expressions of joy and encouragement. On Marathon Day in New York the whole city feels alive and pulsing with positive energy and a feeling of accomplishment in good spirit. I saw as last year strangers congratulating runners still wearing their number banners hours after the race, giving them a pat on the shoulder, or a smile.
...would that every day in New York were Marathon day.
