NYC Marathoners to Power Through All Five Boroughs Sunday

NEW YORK—It’s Queens native Kojima Toshifumi’s 17th time participating in the city marathon, but he still finds it fun.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at New York City Marathon opening press conference in Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, on Oct. 30, 2014. Petr Svab/Epoch Times

NEW YORK—It’s Queens native Kojima Toshifumi’s 17th time participating in the city marathon, but he still finds it fun. 

“I’m more patient because of it,” said Kojima, 55, a computer programmer. “Because you need a lot of patience to make it through.”

When he feels like he can’t go on, he’s encouraged by the cheers of the crowds, whether it’s fellow Japanese or Americans. 

For the upcoming Sunday marathon, New Yorkers and tourists alike will have to summon up every ounce of willpower to finish all 26.2 miles.

In the world’s largest marathon that stretches through all five boroughs, both amateurs and Olympians are invited to attend.

About 140,000 people signed up, but there was only enough space for 50,000 runners and wheelers, said Mary Wittenberg, president of New York Road Runners, which organizes the annual event. 

Last year’s marathon did away with backpacks, ordering runners to bring clear plastic bags. The heightened security made people feel safer according to social media feedback, said counterterrorism chief James Waters, at a Thursday press conference.

Florencia Galarza, 29, DJ and model: "I will be 30 years old soon and 10 years I've lived in New York, so I wanted to do something really special, like a milestone. I've never run a race before, but I've played soccer my entire life so I have that athletic build in me. For training, I just did what you're supposed to do. I practiced outdoor running, because I'm a gym person. It's like the coolest thing ever, all of my friends who've run it said, 'You're going to feel amazing!' It's a memory, it's a milestone. It's epic."