A Runner’s Response to the NYC Marathon and Everything After

A New Jersey-New York Track Club member’s thoughts on Mary Wittenberg, the NY Post, and the cancellation of the 2012 New York City Marathon

by Liam Boylan-Pett

Author’s note: I am a member of the New Jersey-New York Track Club, a non-profit group of professional runners based in New York City, parts of New Jersey, and Philadelphia. My track club, like many in the U.S., has received funding from New York Road Runners, the parent organization of the New York City Marathon. One of my teammates, Olympian Julie Culley, was going to run the marathon.

Our club supports NYRR and its CEO Mary Wittenberg not just because they help us, but because we believe that the organization and Wittenberg are great ambassadors of our sport.

We understand the decision to cancel the race. However, what we will not stand for is the continued thrashing of an organization by a news source that fails to report all of the facts. With that in mind, here is my response to the Post’s continued coverage of the marathon, NYRR, and Wittenberg.

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y – In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the New York Post set out on a vendetta against the New York Road Runners and its head, Mary Wittenberg.