NPR
Marathon runners wonder: Why not cancel earlier?
Hundreds of those runners watched the press conference live on televisions screens at the Jacobs Javits Center, where they had gone to pick up their race numbers. It was like a United Nations of disappointment. Gabriel Dini had just flown in from Italy.
“We would have understood if it had been cancelled at the beginning. Now, calling it off after everyone got here? This is not really the best idea,” he said.
Malcolm Gatenby was eager to share his disgruntlement — he also came straight from the airport.
“I’ve just flown in from Dubai, 17 hours. I’ve flow in now. It’s gonna cost me roughly $6,000,” he said.
Most people who spoke with NPR agreed with the decision to cancel the race, but they did not like the way it was handled.
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Because Bloomberg wasn’t going to until the outcry got too loud?
JeffWeimer on November 3, 2012 at 3:58 PM
That is because Bloomberg is an idiot.
John the Libertarian on November 3, 2012 at 3:58 PM
WELL, y’all are having to deal with bloomberg aren’t you? That worm only cancelled the event because he was getting so much heat from American’s?
L
letget on November 3, 2012 at 3:59 PM
Bloomberg is a 1 percenter. He should cover the costs of all of these poor disappointed participants out of his pocket.
Shy Guy on November 3, 2012 at 4:00 PM
As long as you don’t drink over 16 oz. of soda, Bloomberg doesn’t give a flying flip about you.
Cindy Munford on November 3, 2012 at 4:01 PM
..maybe Bloomturd did; you just couldn’t read the PC sign-language person he has standing next to him at all of his press conferences.
The War Planner on November 3, 2012 at 4:01 PM
Breaks your heart doesn’t it?
BL@KBIRD on November 3, 2012 at 4:02 PM
Because their is a WAR ON WOMEN ™!!1
trs on November 3, 2012 at 4:02 PM
Liberalism strikes again. They get more creative everyday in their efforts to screw the common man.
CW on November 3, 2012 at 4:02 PM
That was my thinking. Bloomberg should have cancelled the race last week.
IMHO he was trying to be Rudy, because soon after 9/11 Rudy encouraged people “to go to dinner, see a show, the life of the city goes on.” It was under entirely different circumstances and fit the mood of New York.
We were in the city about 6 weeks after 9/11. That quote was printed on brochures we picked up at the Hoboken ferry.
INC on November 3, 2012 at 4:05 PM
They “only” had a solid week notice that this storm was coming….
In fact, I was extremely impressed with how accurate the forecast was, to be honest. They were pretty much right on the money.
KMC1 on November 3, 2012 at 4:06 PM
Politics.
If there was no marathon, then Bloomberg could always say that the city was doing its best to fix the broken city.
But with the marathon, everyone was saying that things were still broken because the city was too focused on the marathon.
And the story that the NYC Road Runner’s Club president tried to claim on CNBC was pure stupidity? The marathon was absolutely not “on” as a way to honor anyone. It was “on” in order to prevent having to write it off as a total loss. That’s understandable, but Bloomberg should have known that the city was still going to be fairly broken, and he should have known the heat he was going to take for it.
blink on November 3, 2012 at 4:07 PM
LOL! That sign language interpreter cracks me up. It’s a Saturday Night Live skit waiting to happen. I can see it now, Mayor Bloomberg with his new New York City dialect sign language interpreter. You can imagine the rest! I know I can! Fuhgeddaboutit!
NavyMustang on November 3, 2012 at 4:09 PM
Why?
Our own little tyrant, Bloomberg.
PattyJ on November 3, 2012 at 4:09 PM
Off topic, but some similar brilliance from Chris Christie:
bobs1196 on November 3, 2012 at 4:09 PM
I was looking for the exact quote from Rudy and found this:
With can-do stance on marathon, mayor misreads NYC
INC on November 3, 2012 at 4:11 PM
It was the Romney campaign that cancelled the marathon.
Tweeted by Jim Messina
/
Left Coast Right Mind on November 3, 2012 at 4:17 PM
FEMA Out of Water, No Delivery Until Monday
INC on November 3, 2012 at 4:22 PM
Oh well – Bloomberg is an ultra-liberal – this is how ultra-liberals manage a disaster crisis. Why is anyone surprised at how this situation was handled?
Pork-Chop on November 3, 2012 at 4:28 PM
My question is: Why didn’t the joggers see it as a possible terrible disaster for our city before it landed?
Urban Infidel on November 3, 2012 at 4:31 PM
We are talking about the same moron who FAILED to prepare his city for Sandy INSPITE OF EARLY WARNINGS , right ?
burrata on November 3, 2012 at 4:32 PM
…for the same reason you leave a crane on top of a skyscraper with over a week’s notice of an impending hurricane?
DrAllecon on November 3, 2012 at 4:39 PM
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/11/02/storm-exposes-the-magnitude-of-bloombergs-failure-to-govern/
Bloomberg pretty much killed off his national ambition with this latest blunder. Remember the nanny state mayor also mused that the Time Square Bomber was a home-grown nut upset about the health care bill or something.
bayview on November 3, 2012 at 4:42 PM
Because visionary Bloomberg is as blind as a bat.
Oh, and his sonar ain’t all that good, either.
Dusty on November 3, 2012 at 4:43 PM
New Yorkers wonder: Why did runners expect a marathon to be a good idea at this time?
Pardon me if I’m not sympathetic to your first-world problem. The fact that you spent $6,000 so that you could run seems idiotic in the best of conditions, let alone in the middle of a disaster.
James on November 3, 2012 at 4:45 PM
Send invoices to Bloomberg’s office.
22044 on November 3, 2012 at 5:02 PM
Yup. Flying into a multi-state storm is dumb. I feel little sympathy for the whiners. Theirs are tears of a clown.
Here’s a social-quiz. Name five NY Marathon winners. OK, too hard? Name three that have gone on to do ANYTHING you care about.
Capitalist Hog on November 3, 2012 at 5:03 PM
Why not cancel earlier? Because the global warming gods told him the marathon would be good for the environment.
petefrt on November 3, 2012 at 5:08 PM
Racists!
Flange on November 3, 2012 at 5:10 PM
Which is interesting. In Katrina, the president was responsible for all things gone wrong. Here, the blame is going to those a little closer to the situation. I wonder why that is?
Just kidding…I don’t wonder why at all, lol.
xblade on November 3, 2012 at 5:10 PM
On the subject of post-Sally: why is it necessary for New Jersey to ration gas? Are the gas stations not allowed to raise prices to market levels? If the price went up to $10/gal, people would be falling all over themselves to get gas to the people that need it. Is there a law against someone filling up a tank of gas in MD or PA and selling it to people in NJ?
Count to 10 on November 3, 2012 at 5:15 PM
If it makes you feel any better, I lost about 30¢ worth of Diet Pepsi when I laughed at your problem.
Ronnie on November 3, 2012 at 5:22 PM
..for the record, the answer to your second question is that they probably went on to win yet more marathons. The answer to your first question is here. And, interestingly enough the winners of the last FIVE marathons were from Kenya, Ethiopia, U.S.A., Brazil and..Kenya!
(Sorry, I peeked. And there have been 10 Kenyans who have won in the 41 races.)
The War Planner on November 3, 2012 at 5:27 PM
..does the Midget Mayor with the PC sign language lady know you are drinking a sugared drink?
The War Planner on November 3, 2012 at 5:29 PM
I knew Bloomberg was a short man. This week he showed he is a small man.
Qzsusy on November 3, 2012 at 5:51 PM
If you want to criticize the runners, fine…but don’t lose track of understanding the epic failure that is Michael Bloomberg.
22044 on November 3, 2012 at 6:40 PM