NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Sunday would have marked the 50th New York City Marathon, and while the pandemic has canceled the event, some will still participate virtually.
The Verrazano Bridge will be open to traffic, there will be no cannon and no taking off to "New York, New York" – a tune that kicks off the start of the 26.2 mile run through the boroughs.
"I've done 41 in a row," says Connie Brown.
She says the pandemic won't stop her from running.
While she lives in Sarasota, she says she'll be getting up at 2 a.m. on Sunday to run the marathon with some friends in her neighborhood, participating in the virtual event.
Brown says she is looking forward to the run, but notes that it won't be the same as years past.
"I'm gonna miss the spectators. I'm gonna miss the crowd. I'm gonna miss getting together with my streaker friends. We have a streaker party the night before the marathon," she explains.
A "streaker" is a person who participates in the marathon for several consecutive years. Brown has the longest "streak" of any woman in the race's history with 41 years under her belt.
It's an unbelievable accomplishment for the soon-to-be 77-year-old Brooklyn native, who says it's important for her to keep her tradition alive.
"It's important for me to just keep going and people ask me, 'Well how long are you going to keep doing this?' 'When you turn a certain age are you going to stop?' I'm not planning on stopping. I plan on doing this for many more years," she tells WCBS 880.
Mauricio Blandino, of Jackson heights, will also be running, saying he isn't letting COVID-19 or a traumatic brain injury get in his way.
"Why am I doing this? It gave me structure in my life. It kept structure in my life. It gave me a target and a goal to achieve," he said.
With the help of Achilles International, an organization that pairs guides with disabled runners, Blandino completed the virtual Boston Marathon in September in under four hours.
"It helped me with all that's happening around, a lot of negativity in the air. It helped me change my sanity," he said.
Over 25,000 runners have signed up to run the New York City Marathon distance in countries around the world.
