Just a few hours after New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended his decision to allow the New York City Marathon to go on as planned this year in spite of what has happened to the city in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the annual event has officially been canceled.
Shortly after noon, Mayor Bloomberg told the press that he wanted to use the marathon to help the city recover. "You have to keep going and doing things," he said, "and you can grieve, you can cry, and you can laugh all at the same time. That's what human beings are good at."
Others didn't see things his away, though. Bloggers ripped the mayor's decision. It was a hotly-contested debate on ESPN First Take this morning. And, even politicians in Staten Island spoke out against the idea of a marathon being run less than a week after Sandy hit.
But, all those arguments are over now. Thanks to the public outcry, the marathon is officially off.
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[via ESPN New York]
