CBSNewYork On Scene: 2010 ING NYC Marathon
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- CBSNewYork's Roxanne Geyer was live in Central Park with updates throughout the 2010 ING New York City Marathon.
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Just a few more steps and these runners will have completed their marathon.
Most people are crossing the finish line with smiles on their face and many with their hands in the air pointing up to the sky or reaching out looking for that last high five.
There are a few runners grimacing in pain clutching a hamstring or their side, but their determination is palpable.
Of course the flamboyant, jubilant runners are dressed as anything from Minnie Mouse to a French waiter. While there are the costumed folks, the majority have simply decorated their shirts with the names written in large print so anyone can shout out "Go Claudia! Go Robert! Go Eve!"
Fun fact: In 1972, the finish banner was only printed on the runner's side, so the photographer's shots of the finish featured a blank banner. Both sides of the banner were printed the following year.
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And the winner is...Gebre Gebremariam!
In his debut to the NYC marathon, this Ethiopian crossed the finish line at 2:08:13.
Usually, the winners come through the finish line so early, the stands have yet to fill up and the energy in the park is still building.
This year the winners (both men and women) will take home $130,000.
Fun Fact: the all-time winning-est runner in the NYC marathon is 9-time women's champion Grete Waitz.
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The race course and the finish are all common sights for fans and spectators, but what happens after the runners cross the finish line?
That sight is reserved for the runners, volunteers and a few family members.
Hundreds of volunteers in orange jackets wait to cover the runners in special foil blankets, get them to medical attention if they need it or just a big smile and their medal.
Fun facts: There are over 6000 volunteers at every part of the race, 130 bands and acts, 368 portable toilets and 390 tubs of Vaseline.
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Along the course I chatted with folks lined up along the barricades about their morning and what they thought of the race.
One woman pointed out to me that even though they were less than 100 yards from the finish, they couldn't see the giant screen set up next to the finish because of a giant tree. I took this picture to show our viewers and I ask, what do you think? Is their view obstructed? Should the race officials ask to have the trees trimmed or fix the positioning?
Fun Fact: Whoops! In 1994, German Silva took a wrong turn in Central Park before a cop shouted at him and pointed Silva in the right direction. Thankfully, that mistake didn't cost him the win. He caught up and beat his training partner by two seconds!
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Even if you don't run in the race, you can still be a part of the marathon by being in the crowds.
New York crowds are historically an active, boisterous bunch. From Williamsburg in Brooklyn where spectators pass out bananas to 1st Avenue in Manhattan where people transform that stretch of the race into a giant block party, there is a place for you to be part of the action.
A popular and easily accessible spot for spectators is along 60th St, south of Central Park. From 5th Avenue to Columbus Circle, anyone can wriggle their way into the crowd and cheer on the runners in their final stretch to the finish.
Fun Fact: get shoe ties!! In 1997, Joh Kagwa of Kenya stopped twice to tie his shoes en route, which probably cost him the course record.
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After running their way through all five boroughs, seeing mile marker 26 is relief and to some it means an extra jolt of energy to make their time just that much better.
At mile 26, runners start following markers and cones in front of them, guiding to the finish and into the belly of orange-clad volunteers eager to give them a medal, wrap them in a foil blanket and shove a banana in their hands.
Fun Fact: The first NYC marathon was in 1970 and only cost $1 entry fee!
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If you were a runner...This is what you would see!
The final miles of this race are through a crowd-filled Central Park, but the final few hundred yards are explosive. The flags of all the countries are lined up and thousands of spectators are crammed in between trying to get a peek.
The cheers and cowbells and air horns are deafening and provide the runners that extra boost of energy to cross the line.
Over 45,000 people are expected to finish this race, the largest number in race history.
Fun Fact: The heat and humidity of the 1984 race ( nearly 80 degrees and 9 percent humidity) prompted race organizers to push back the date of the race from being held in September and October to the beginning of November.
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The first winner has crossed!
David Weir of Great Britain flew by with the sounds of cheers and cowbells to be the first winner of the 2010 New York City marathon.
Prior to winning this year's wheelchair race, Weir placed 6th in 2005 with a 1:36:48 finish.
Fun Fact: 2001 was the first year wheelchair competitors were offered prize money- a total of $10,500.
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Goooood Morning New Yorkers!
We are standing at the media center about five feet away from the finish line watching the crowds build and the color orange take over the scene.
It is from this media center where our WCBS 880 and 1010 WINS reporters are working from as well as the official public address announcer.
It's still a bit too early in the morning for the final grandstands to be filled, but with this perfect fall weather, I imagine the stands will be filled soon.
