New York City Marathon's Biggest Concern: Weather
WCBS 880 reporter Marla Diamond is presenting a special week-long series of reports leading up to the 2012 New York City Marathon. Be sure to check for them in the morning and afternoon.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The 2012 New York City Marathon is this Sunday, November 4 and there is at least one element of the race that is out of the hands any human being.
WCBS 880's Marla Diamond On The Story
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The race has dizzying logistics: 2.5 million spectators, 47,000 runners, 8,000 volunteers and 3,000 port-a-potties on a 26.2-mile course. All of it is led by technical director Peter Ciaccia.
"You know, we come out in the wee hours of the morning and we build this city and then we take it all down and we disappear. So that's what happens between the bridge and the finish line," he told WCBS 880 reporter Marla Diamond.
Ciaccia also coordinates the nationwide television broadcast.
"What's your biggest fear?" asked Diamond.
"I think my biggest concern is the weather. It's the one thing that you can't control," he said.
Ciaccia says Sandy will delay some of the setup, but the one-time music tour manager is ready to go the distance.
"It's all part of the gig," he said. "We've encountered bad weather before. We have to always have contingency plans in and timelines get shifted."
The freak Halloween weekend snowstorm of 2011 required a major cleanup on the course, and Ciaccia sees that as a dress rehearsal for this year.
Back to the port-a-potties for a second.
"We're the second largest user of port-a-potties for a one-day event in the United States of America," Ciaccia said. That's second only to NASCAR.
Peter Ciaccia
