Running on a torn city - The NYC Marathon

I am so divided on this.

As a stubborn New Yorker I so desperately want to call out "The Show Must Go On!" 

As a proud New Yorker I want you to see the gritty, fast paced, art deco glories of my home.

As a fledgeling runner I want to bask in the excitement of the first NYC marathon that's really been on my radar.

But as a fellow human being looking at the devastation around me I really wonder if it's actively irresponsible to shoulder another burden so soon. Especially one which will directly pull so many necessary resources.

The New York City skyline darkened after millions lost power on Monday. Click image for link to original source

This image makes me want to cry a little bit. Ok, more than a little bit.

People keep talking about the money this will bring into the city... as if that somehow balances out all of the expected downsides. As wonderful as it is that people want to help the situation with their money, we can't even get the access to many of these resources with OUR money and that puts us in direct competition for our own resources.

That money would be an incredible boon in one week, or two, or a month from now, but all it is doing right now is buying resources AWAY from the people that need them.

We're not talking about a shortage of I♥NY shirts, FDNY baseball caps, dirty water dogs, and commemorative Lady Liberty statuettes.

Image via LouiseHB on flickr - Click image for link

People are already without shelter, transit, food, electricity, police protection, cleanup crews, and from what I'm hearing access to clean tap water is going away as well. It's BAD, and now with the VERY rapidly descending gas shortage it's only getting worse for many people.

Yet these are all of the same things that the marathon goers will need.

Is this fair to us? Patently not.

Is this fair to THEM? Nope, not fair there either. I assure you that their experience here will NOT be the one they signed up and paid good money for.

I Love this NY, but we've been together a long time and I've had a lifetime to embrace all of her aspects. But this is not the NY I want you to meet, much less fall in Love with. This is a scraped up distracted NY who would love to spend time with you but the insurance adjustor will be here any minute, and anyway she had to skip lunch to get here in time and coffee is a distant hazy memory so please bear with her a bit.

I count myself among the EXTREMELY lucky few who did not suffer direct property damage. My family is safe and I have a lot of support, but by the same token the situation is still pretty grim for the coming days and I wouldn't recommend it as a lifestyle personally. There is a lot at stake.

Would you run a marathon on a torn tendon? 

Would you run a marathon on a torn city?

I do not blame anyone who is still psyched on the idea, but I do recommend having a look at the page below, there are some very compelling statements here.
https://www.facebook.com/CancelThe2012NycMarathon

This post came out of my thoughts regarding this post on the NYC Marathon by BlistersandBlackToenails.