The world gets running again at
the TCS New York City Marathon
Darren Tomasso roared with excitement as he earned a gold medal.
BY DEAN MOSES
The Five Boroughs were off
and running again on Nov.
7 as more than 33,000
athletes took a 26.2 mile journey
with the return of the TCS New
York City Marathon, the latest
milestone in the city’s pandemic
recovery.
The marathon’s 50th running
was more than just a test of endurance,
for thousands it is a shining
beacon of hope. Literally running
through all fi ve boroughs, the
26.2-mile trek showcased Sunday
just how far the Big Apple has
come since the early, dark days
of the COVID-19 pandemic by
Stepping toward the goal in Harlem.
opening the metropolis up to an
army of athletes.
The pandemic forced the cancellation
of last year’s big race,
but a year later, the world’s largest
marathon was back in full swing. A
tidal wave of humanity began fi ling
into the base of the Verrazano-
Narrows Bridge at the crack of
dawn, wrapped in blankets and
clutching their bib numbers.
For some it was a long wait
as they snoozed prior to the big
start, while others used the time
to warm up by stretching or even
relaxing and reading a book.
And they had a long way to go.
Johnny Shay could barely hold
in his exhilaration when describing
how great it felt to be back
participating in the marathon
after the hiatus. Shay proudly
showed off his gold medal,
awarded for completing the race
in under three hours.
“The energy in the crowd was
amazing. Everybody turned out
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
today and I fed off that energy and
felt really good. I got my gold time
under three hours,” Shay said. “I
was home for the whole pandemic
so you can feel the electricity out
on the streets today. I saw one
sign that said, ‘Triumph of the
human spirit’ and it’s such a good
day to celebrate everybody pushing
their limits, trying to prove to
themselves they can do something
tough, you know, so it’s really
Supporting the marathoners.
inspiring to be part of it.”
As the world’s largest marathon,
several professional runners
felt it’s immensity as they
collapsed at the fi nish line. Grimacing
in pain or clutching their
head as they were wheeled away,
the immeasurable undertaking
was apparent through their pain.
Still, they pushed forward, despite
a few even lacking experience.
Darren Tomasso is from New
York City and shares that this was
the second time he ever participated
in a marathon. Initially, Tomasso
was just a trainer for runners
since 2018; however, when
the world went on lockdown due
to the pandemic, he picked up
running shoes for himself.
“I’m a trainer myself. I’ve
trained runners for so long since
2018. But I’ve never actually put
myself in the ring.” Tomasso said.
“It was really during COVID-19
I realized like, what am I working
towards? Why can’t I throw
myself into the ring and do this
myself? So I committed myself to
doing this and I ran my fi rst marathon
in October in Chicago and
wanted to do it again in the home
court in New York City with a 301
time, and I just learned so much
from this process.”
Aside from exhaustion, the fi rst
thing on Tomasso’s mind after
fi nishing the race–food.
“I’m really hungry. But I feel
so, so good. It’s just to be able to
come back after everything that
this world has gone through. For
the past two years and come back
for the 50th anniversary. People
all over the world came back
PHOTO BY ADRIAN CHILDRESS
and celebrated through sport.
The power of sport really moves
the world. There’s no bigger
inspiration these past years than
seeing just everyone I’ve worked
with and running the marathon
on their own and they’ve really
pushed me to do it myself.”
PHOTO BY ADRIAN CHILDRESS
Racing through Harlem
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