On Friday, we arrived in New York City and met a girl from Brooklyn, Jessica, who helped us get to the Expo. We got our bibs, checked into our hotel, and went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. While eating, a woman came up to us at dinner with a cell phone showing the news: MARATHON CANCELLED. That's when our adventure began.
We wanted to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy but had no idea how. We received a text from Jessica about a group of runners that were going to Staten Island on Sunday with backpacks full of supplies. We found a computer and signed up to help via Facebook.
We went shopping for supplies and decided to donate the clothes we were going to wear to the marathon. On Sunday morning, we showed up at the Staten Island Ferry, not knowing what to expect. We split into groups running 6 through 14+ miles.
We ran 5 miles carrying backpacks, uphill, stopping at a school being used as a shelter. While talking with a volunteer there, he told us they didn't have enough supplies for the marathon runners. We told him, "We're here to donate, not take supplies!" When asked how we got there, we told him, "We're marathon runners, we ran here!" He told us we were crazy but thanked us saying, "God Bless You." We stayed awhile to unload a truck and van loaded with donated items, then ran the 5 miles back to the ferry.
Charlie, Theresa, and I are all in agreement. We are glad the decision to run the marathon was taken out of our hands. We want to thank Jessica and the people who organized the effort- over 1300 runners volunteered!
Only 364 days until I run the NYC Marathon 2013!