New York, New York

Many fans of the Big Apple say that New York is a city of stories. A city where everything happens, and sometimes it seems that nothing happens; the anthill of people who come and go along its wide streets and avenues is always in a hurry, it’s like making money in the Wall Street stock market, getting to the office on time, working on cleaning duty at a restaurant, or shopping in exclusive stores on the 5th . avenue. This city is everything and more, a state of mind, a charming place that dresses in yellow in autumn and hosts one of the most popular and favorite events for both New Yorkers and thousands of tourists from all over the world. the world they run through its streets and avenues: the New York City Marathon.

And after 3 years of restrictions due to the effects of the pandemic, this great marathon, which took place last Sunday, has not only regained its full capacity with more than 53,000 runners flooding the streets of the Big Apple, but has also become a scene of novelties and unprecedented situations, with an unusual starting temperatures of 21 degrees, which made this edition worthy of attention.

Although nothing compares to the year 1994 when Germán Silva fought Benjamín Paredes for first place, and a few meters from the finish Silva took a wrong turn, and despite this, he recovered and returned in spectacular fashion to win the race, Sunday could have gone down as one of the most unique and even dramatic races in the history of what is without a doubt the most famous marathon in the world.

This was unique because it is the first year that the New York City Marathon, like the Boston and London Marathons, included a non-binary category of runners in the cash prize, that is, those runners who do not identify with either the male or female category. 60 runners signed up for this edition, and the winner was Jake Caswell, a city resident runner who crossed the finish line in 2:45:12 for a $5,000 prize. In fact, this is the second year that people with a non-binary identity have run in New York, but this is the first time they have received a financial award in their category. 60 runners subscribed to this edition

As a novelty, also this year, the TCS New York City Marathon offered the opportunity to watch the race from a mobile phone with full and uninterrupted coverage thanks to a new application that the organization made available for free to everyone, the goal is to add the largest number of viewers to 530 million homes in 182 countries it reaches through television, in addition to attracting other audiences.

But in an unusual and dramatic move, 24-year-old Brazilian athlete Daniel Do Nascimento, who led the 24-kilometer marathon, collapsed on the 32nd kilometer, unable to take a step due to dehydration, cramps and indigestion. . The athlete completed the half marathon in 1:02:22, which has never been recorded in the New York Marathon, but what exceeded the unheard of was the fact that a few minutes before collapsing on the asphalt, at 29th kilometer, the marathon runner stopped in the toilet , something never before seen from a lead runner, while the car with the leader’s marker had to wait until he came out.

The image was unusual: Daniel was lying on the ground, and the guide’s car drove past him, and to the side of the car, Kenyan Evans Chebet, who finally tracked down the Brazilian and won first place. Everything indicates that the heat and haste played a cruel joke with Daniel, or maybe the athlete did not take into account these two factors.

This is New York, like the Tower of Babel, with over 50,000 anonymous stories in different languages, but where all the participants, each at their own level, and most without the slightest hope of qualification, run because they want to see beyond the walls, distances and fatigue. because they want to tell the world and themselves, “I’m here in New York doing something great.”

ROSSANA AYALA
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@AYALAROSS1

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