Tag Archives: nyc half marathon 2011

Road Runners Defend Plans to Use BPC as Race Staging Area

The Road Runners would use northern Battery Park City as a staging area

The Tribeca Trib reports The Community Board 1 met with executives from the Road Runners Group, who were defending their plan to use Northern Battery Park City as a staging area for the famed Half Marathon, which will take place Sunday, March 20th. BPC residents vehemently oppose this plan, even though the Road Runners have permits.

As previously reported, Chambers Street and River Terrace would be used to lead the 10,000 runners from the finish line on West Street to the massive reception area at North Cove. North End Avenue, which is two-way and runs north and south, will be partially closed for TV trucks, generators and medical tents. Parking spaces will be occupied by portable toilets on other streets that are not closed to traffic.

Residents are also worried about partition walls and other disruptions. Road Runners Senior VP Peter Ciaccia said at the February 23rd meeting that “it was never the Road Runners intention to bypass planning and not include the community board.” However, since the 13-mile race runs through multiple locations, and therefore, multiple community boards, the group did not need to receive permission from individual neighborhoods. Ciaccia also claimed that he was unaware of the displeasure within the Battery Park City residents regarding the Half Marathon. He also offered to facilitate a post-race meeting to discuss any issues that are a result of this year’s race.

The Road Runners will meet with the Battery Park City Committee again today. What is your opinion of the set up plan for the Half Marathon?

NYC Half Marathon to Take Over Large Portion of BPC Next Month

The Road Runners plan to commandeer much of the area (Photo: New York Road Runners, nyrr.org)

The Sixth Annual New York City Half Marathon is slated for Sunday, March 20th and the event, from the runners to the media to the volunteers, should cause more than a few headaches for Battery Park City residents. According to the Tribeca Trib, The New York Road Runners, who are organizing the event, plan to commandeer both Chambers Street and River Terrace, which are two of the major thoroughfares in the northern section of BPC, as the “walk off path” for 10,000 runners expected to compete in the 13.1 mile run. Even worse, North End Avenue, which is the area’s only two-way, north-south road, will be partially closed to accommodate TV trucks, generators and medical tents. Non-blocked streets like Murray and Warren will boast 25-30 portable toilets.

The race’s finish line is located on West Street above Chambers and runners will then be lead around Stuyvesant High School to Chambers and then onto River Terrace. The walk-off leads to a reception area on Winter Garden Plaza on North Cove. There, vendors and volunteers would be stationed, handing out amenities like juice and foil blankets to the winded runners trying to catch their breath.

The Road Runners and local residents will continue to discuss better options and other possibilities to make the event livable for the participants and the locals. One suggestion was to move staging and reception to either Pier 40 in Greenwich Village or Pier 25 in Tribeca.

Could you live with the headaches imposed by the half-marathon since it’s one day or are you opposed to all the closures and interruptions in daily life?