Security Tight As Long Island Marathon Weekend Begins
WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Hundreds of runners took off at the sound of the horn Saturday morning for the 5K run – part of the Long Island Marathon weekend.
And as WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, all around the men and women who were running, there were police officers watching on foot, on horses and with bomb-sniffing dogs.
Authorities said there is security you can see and security you cannot, such as radiation-detecting devices.
PHOTOS: Long Island Marathon Weekend
Security Tight As Long Island Marathon Weekend Begins
"I saw them as I was driving in. They're all over," Ed David told Hall. "In the past years, there hasn't been a lot. This year you can see them, they're all visible."
Meanwhile, runners can only have clear plastic bags at the finish line.
"I think I saw a bomb-sniffing dog. It looked like it. So I'm really happy to see that," a woman said. "And we got our clear bags yesterday."
Tim Steiskal, the first person to cross the finish line for the 5K run, also said he was pleased with the increased security.
"I felt safe as could be. The police do a great job protecting the runners," Steiskal said. "Runners should not be scared to go out there. We have to go out there. We can't let those people stop us."
One-mile, 5K and "fun run" races were held Saturday, while the 10K, half and full marathons were set for Sunday.
On Sunday, there will be 26 seconds of silence, and a "Long Islanders Running for Boston" well-wishing wall will be revealed.
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