Security To Remain Tight For New York City Marathon
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Security procedures for the TCS New York City Marathon will remain similar to the measures enacted last year.
The 2013 race was the first since the bombings at the Boston Marathon. The only notable change from last year will be adjustments to how entrants are screened when they arrive at the start in Staten Island, in an effort to reduce delays, New York organizers said Monday.
About 50,000 runners are expected for Sunday's race.
The 2001 marathon took place less than two months after the Sept. 11 attacks, so security has been heightened ever since. It was tightened even more in 2013.
Barriers were erected around Central Park, where the race ends. Spectators could enter only through a few designated checkpoints where bags were searched.
Meanwhile, fears about the Ebola crisis are expected to have little impact on the Marathon. While there will be runners from around the globe, none who registered are from the three West African nations plagued by the Ebola outbreak, race officials said.
Nevertheless, the deadly virus has very much been on the mind of marathon director Mary Wittenberg for several months, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported.
"We absolutely assumed there would be cases in New York by time we got to the marathon, and as always, the health and safety of our runners and our volunteers is always of primary concern," Wittenberg said.
On Sunday, the NYC Marathon will have the millionth finisher in its history. That lucky entrant will win guaranteed entry into the race for life and a shopping spree for marathon gear.
Going into Sunday, 974,257 people have completed the 26.2-mile course. The millionth runner to cross the finish line will probably complete the race in just over four hours.
Julissa Sarabia of Queens was the race's millionth starter last year, which was her first marathon. She didn't plan to ever run another, but when she earned a guaranteed entry into this year's event, she changed her mind.
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