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On your marks, get set and get ready for this year’s New York City Marathon, as over 50,000 runners from more than 90 countries prepare to sprint across the five boroughs this Sunday — and you can spot everyone from pro-running champions and celebrities to Hell’s Kitchen locals!
While the race is chock-full of speedy New Yorkers, be sure to look out for a few hyper-local runners. West Sider Joel Cadman (bib number 28672) has followed a long road to this year’s race. He has been training to run his 10th New York City Marathon (and his 11th training season due to 2012’s canceled Hurricane Sandy race), this time as part of the Children’s Tumor Foundation team after surviving his own removal of Neurofibromatosis — nerve-sheath tumors.
Cadman started this year’s training with a painful bout of tendonitis, leaving him in a bulky boot hardly suited for long runs. Despite the setback, he managed to return to running and though he’s stated it won’t be his fastest finish time, he’ll be happy to complete the race and raise awareness for Neurofibromatosis research.
“New York City’s an incredible experience,” he said. “There’s obviously pain built into it, but you train how to deal with it. Some of the moments during the race have been some of the highlights of my life — it’s a genuine thrill to be running through the streets of New York, especially with the huge crowds. As a runner, it’s legendary to come off the Queensborough Bridge, swing around and come up First Avenue and the crowds there are massive and loud, and it is the most exhilarating thing.
“It’s an amazing way to experience the whole city — everybody comes together for the marathon,” he added. “You have people of all different experiences and backgrounds who are all rooting for the people who are running, and it’s a thrilling thing to do.”
WHAT ELSE TO ENJOY IN HELL’S KITCHEN AND BEYOND
Fellow Hell’s Kitchen resident Jake Caswell (bib number 549), a featured participant on the New York Road Runners’ Team Inspire, recently made history by winning the Brooklyn Marathon’s non-binary category in its debut year. For Caswell, a Columbia University running alum, it was both their first time competing in the nonbinary category and their first marathon ever. Caswell is competing in the sub-elite category of the race — which for the first time will give out prize money to first through fifth place nonbinary competitors.
Also, keep an eye out for Landmark Tavern co-owner Michael Younge, who will be pounding the streets with bib 26936 and Paul Gealone of Amy’s Bread (bib number 31516)!
And in addition to local celebrities, eagle-eyed spectators can spy more than a few boldfaced names making their way through the 26.2 miles. Broadway veteran Sierra Boggess (bib number 48023) plans to run Sunday’s race, as does TV favorite Ellie Kemper (bib number 52890). Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber (bib number 36254) will go for his eighth NYC Marathon, while actor Ashton Kutcher (no bib number available, perhaps he is too famous?), is raising money for the anti- online abuse Thorn Foundation in his first go on the New York course.
The marathon — which begins its tiered start times at 8am on Staten Island with the professional wheelchair division — features a scenic, skyscraper-filled course that takes runners through Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Clinton Hill, Williamsburg and Greenpoint before cutting through Long Island City, Queens, heading north through the Upper East Side and the Bronx, and finally, sending the tired trotters down 5th Avenue for their victory sprint (or hobble) towards the finish line in Central Park.
West Siders who want to cheer on the runners in person will find the closest vantage point close to Central Park South, with the nearest entry point at Columbus Circle. Or if you want to experience the roar of the finishing line without running 26.2 miles, grandstand tickets are still available at $54.25.
It should be almost viewing weather, with a forecasted high of 71F in Central Park, although runners may be less happy: the conditions are warmer and more humid than normal for the New York Marathon.
If you can’t make it out to the course to cheer in person, there are several viewing options. The race will stream on ABC7 (and its accompanying live app) starting at 7am, and nationally through ESPN and ESPN in Spanish beginning at 8:30am.
Whether you’re at home or on the course, the marathon has a well-designed, interactive official app that will allow you to track runners along the course map using their bib number, and also watch a limited-interruption live stream of the race on your phone.
We wish the best of luck to all of our local competitors. Send us your names and bib numbers (email sarah@w42st.com) — or those of your family members and friends who are running — so that we can cheer you on (and add to this article)!
RUNNERS TO FOLLOW
| Runner’s Name | Bib Number |
|---|---|
| Joel Cadman | 28672 |
| Jake Caswell | 549 |
| Michael Younge | 26936 |
| Sierra Boggess | 48023 |
| Ellie Kemper | 52890 |
| Tiki Barber | 36254 |
| Lauren Ridloff | 57073 |
| Claire Holt | 30159 |
| Matt James | 57488 |
| Yaniv “Nev” Schulman | 3967 |
| Pia Wurtzbach | 55652 |
| TJ Holmes | 18753 |
| Amy Robach | 15191 |
| Casey Neistat | 3688 |
| Monica Puig | 7790 |
| Meghan Duggan | 45749 |
| Ryan Briscoe | 44699 |
| Paul Gealone | 31516 |
I’m so excited, this is my first marathon! Can’t wait to hit the streets!
You’ll do great, Paul! You’ll have all of Hell’s Kitchen cheering you on!! Slow and steady will always win the race 💪🏼