This year on Nov. 7, 33,000 runners participated in the 50th New York City Marathon. From the world’s top professional runners to everyday athletes, runners of all ages hit the streets and completed a 26.2-mile course. Not only did 33,000 runners participate, but there were also over one million spectators and 10,000 volunteers lining the city’s streets in support of each runner — not to mention the millions more that watched in support through the televised broadcast. With impressive times, charity money raised and a wide variety of participants, the 2021 New York City Marathon was one to remember.
The Course
The scenic 26.2-mile course took each runner through five New York neighborhoods — Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Starting in Staten Island, the runners were taken through the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn. After Brooklyn, they entered Queens and then Manhattan. Venturing their way into the Bronx, the runners made their way back to Manhattan and finished their journey in Central Park.
Charities
One aspect of this annual event is that every athlete who participated raised money toward a charitable cause. There are four levels of charities that the runners contribute to — gold, silver, bronze and community. Gold-level charities include Team for Kids and Fred’s Team. These provide guaranteed entry and VIP perks on marathon day. A few silver-level charities include The Ulman Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Alzheimer’s Association and Central Park Conservatory. A handful of the bronze-level charities are Make-A-Wish Metro New York, The Pink Agenda, Project ALS and The American Heart Association. Community-level charities include Smile-A-Mile, ADAPT Community Network, Adaptive Sports Foundation and Action for Healthy Kids. These charities are only a handful of the money that is raised through the marathon, with many more notable causes that the participants fundraised for.
Top Times
A total of 26.2 miles can take quite a while to complete, but some outstanding runners completed the course in some impressive times. Albert Korir finished in first place with a total time of 2:08:22 and averaged a four-minute and 54-second mile. Mohamed El Aaraby finished not far behind in second place with a time of 2:09:06 and averaged a four-minute and 56-second mile. The third-place finisher, Eyob Faniel, completed the marathon with an average mile time under five minutes, averaging a four-minute and 58-second mile, with a total time of 2:09:52.
Participants
Not only did top athletes participate in the marathon, but many familiar celebrities defeated this 26.2-mile marathon course. From “The Bachelor,” Matt James, Tyler Cameron, Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark all participated and finished the race in some pretty impressive times. Two television hosts, Will Reeve and Willie Geist, supported both The Reeve Foundation and The Michael J. Fox Foundation during their run this year.
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