New York marathon plans up and running

While the Brooklyn Nets’ home opener is cancelled after Hurricane Sandy, the New York marathon is to go ahead.

Post-Sandy flooding in Hoboken
Hurricane Sandy ripped through New York and New Jersey causing flooding and damage to buildings [AFP]

Despite the devastation caused in New York by Hurricane Sandy, the New York Marathon will go ahead on Sunday as scheduled, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday.

Marathon officials had been proceeding as planned to stage the annual event that runs through all five boroughs of the largest city in America, but they were awaiting final word from city officials regarding the staging of the race.

Flooding and power outages remained common around the city and subway and other transit systems remained shut down because of the damage caused by the killer superstorm that blasted ashore late Monday in nearby New Jersey.

Mary Wittenberg, president of the New York Road Runners, said the organising group was set to hire private contractors to replace city workers who would typically handle such things as security and medical needs for the race.

Many of those workers will be spending all week helping New York pull together after the storm shattered buildings and trees in a pre-Halloween horror show.

Wittenberg said the race could serve as much-needed inspiration to New Yorkers and help boost some businesses that suffered storm-related losses.

NBA delay

However, damage across New York from Hurricane Sandy forced the NBA to postpone the Brooklyn Nets’ home opener against the New York Knicks originally set for Thursday, the league announced.

The long-awaited game, the first for the club in the new $1 billion Barclays Center since the club moved from New Jersey after last season, did not immediately receive a rescheduled date.

A day after vowing the game would go on, the league was told by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg that the smartest move was a postponement.

“Mayor Bloomberg informed us this afternoon that after further analysis of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy that he felt it was in the best interests of the city of New York, the teams and our fans that we postpone the Knicks-Nets game,” NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said.

“We’re definitely disappointed not to be able to play because it was the home opener”

Brookly Nets guard Deron Williams

“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this devastating storm.”

The showdown was to have been the first home game for a Brooklyn-based sports team since Major League Baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season.

“We’re definitely disappointed not to be able to play because it was the home opener,” nets guard Deron Williams told ESPN.

“A lot of people have lost homes, have lost loved ones, so in the grand scheme of things it’s really not that important.

“There’s high water in a lot of places. There are a lot of problems out there.”

Source: News Agencies