Rich on Running: For NYC marathoners, best option is helping out

One aftereffect of Hurricane Sandy last week was whether or not the New York City Marathon would be called off. Mayor Michael Bloomberg finally canceled the race on Friday, but not after initially wanting to hold the race, and receiving considerable ire from city residents. New Yorkers were understandably upset about runners getting bottles of water and generators ? in the midst of power outages and gas shortages in the city.However, after the event was cancelled, a substantial group of would-be marathoners decided to do something worthwhile on Sunday: Help out New Yorkers left hurting by the storm.On Sunday, in footage shown by The Weather Channel, orange-clad runners ran not along a marathon route, but to a more pressing destination: the homes of needy families on Staten Island. There, runners handed out necessities such as batteries, flashlights and toilet paper. They also used their arm muscles to assist with piling up all the debris from the storm. One runner called it “a great opportunity to take advantage of the day and give back.”This was a perfect way for people who stay in shape by running to take advantage of their physical fitness, by filling a need in communities shattered by the storm. After all, if there is no gas available for cars, there is always the option to run.And the marathoners did just that, streaming out of the Staten Island ferry terminal, backpacks strapped to their shoulders. They passed out bottles of water to residents whose streets were strewn with trash and whose houses showed marks of storm damage.These scenes of wrecked houses and littered streets demonstrated the damage New York has suffered from the storm, and illustrated why Mayor Bloomberg could not have held the marathon this year. The runners who helped out those battered Staten Island neighborhoods on Sunday did something far worthier than completing 26.2 miles in Central Park.One resident may have summed up New Yorkers’ opposing beliefs about the marathon and the people who wanted to run it, but ended up assisting others. He said he was glad the runners were “able to be here” helping out ? but he was also “glad the race was cancelled.”Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].