2013 New York Marathon ~ My Brothers and Sisters in Arms

You have until Friday to make your choice, whatcha gonna do?

Yes, I'm talking to you, 2012 canceled New York City marathoners. The deadline to pick your option is this week, and you have to decide if you want a refund or a spot in a future race and pay the entry fee again.

There wasn't any question for me about what I was going to do.  I'm in, I'm going back like Bruce Willis going back for his watch in Pulp Fiction. I'm only spending one night, probably going alone, and only bringing enough money to buy a street side hotdog, but I'm going.

I had this powerful image of nearly every single one of the 2012 runners lining up for the 2013 event, all of us with two years of marathon build up, and when the race began it would be this huge cathartic emotional experience. The explosion of energy would be heard around the world.

Ah, but it seems this reunion may not be.  I have heard of so many folks who are opting for the refund.  Some are those incredibly speedy specimen who can qualify, so reserving a spot doesn't make sense, but most are those who just can't logistically handle another trip to New York.  And there are others not going since they are still very upset at New York for how they handled it. 

"That towns full of moneygrabbers," they told me when I interviewed them.  "Go ahead, bite the big apple, don't mind the maggots."  (They had the moves like Jagger).

So, I'm left acting like the high schooler who wants everyone to come to the reunion a little too much (you know the one) and I may just be there by myself, all alone on the dance floor with empty chairs and empty tables, reminiscing how a year earlier we all ran through central park, a faux marathon but a nice run nonetheless.

Did this mean nothing to you?  We broke Gu together on cancellation day?  We spoke of dashed dreams at the Expo?  We spoke of the lost  airfare in the hotel lobby? We shared unspoken words of bittersweet sadness wearing orange shirts without the weight of finishers medals to hold us down.  You were my brothers and sisters in arms, 'canceled class of NYCM 2012.'

I guess this all meant nothing to you. 

Well, did it? did it!

Go ahead then, damn it, get your darn refund, see if I care.  

Dear Mark Matthews,

You have successfully submitted your request for your entry to the 2013 ING New York City Marathon. You will be able to log back into the system to check the status of your guaranteed entry. You are quite pathetic for writing this blog post. Please get a life, find something else to do, nobody is listening to you anyways. You will be responsible for all processing and entry fees at the time you complete your application. Should you have any questions, please contact customerservice@nyrr.org.

Thank you for having entered the 2012 ING New York City Marathon. We hope you have the opportunity to run with NYRR in the future.
Sincerely yours,
New York Road Runners

You got rats on the west side, Bed bugs uptown.
What a mess, this towns in tatters, I've been shattered.
My brain's been battered, splattered all over Manhattan