The New York Marathon

The New York City Marathon (ING New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is a major annual marathon (42.195 km) (26.2 miles) whose course runs through all five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 37,850 finishers in 2006.[1] Along with the Boston Marathon and Chicago Marathon, it is among the pre-eminent long-distance annual running events in the United States and is one of the World Marathon Majors.

The race is organized by NYRR (New York Road Runners) and has been run every year since 1970. In recent years, it has been sponsored by the financial group ING. It is held on the first Sunday of November and attracts professional competitors and amateurs from all over the world. Because of the popularity of the race, participation is limited to 37,000 entrants chosen largely by a lottery system, with preference given to previous participants. Runners who are members of NYRR can gain entry by meeting the qualifications for guaranteed entry or via nomination from an official running club. Officially recognized running clubs are allowed two guaranteed spots for members who did not make it in via

The New York Marathon, Going Greener
New York Times, United States - Oct 30, 2008
By Tina Kelley As the number of participants in the ING New York City Marathon grows each year, the organizers of the marathon are continuing their efforts …

Link:
http://www.nycmarathon.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Marathon