Marathon Runners Help With Sandy Relief Effort

Race Canceled Runners Put Efforts into Helping Others

The New York Marathon was cancelled at the last minute, and a lot of runners travelled to the Big Apple hoping for a race. But instead of running a marathon, they pitched in and helped Sandy victims.

New York –  Six days after Sandy slammed the East Coast some of the impact could still be felt around the globe.
     Thousands of runners were supposed to be lapping the Big Apple in the New York City Marathon.
     The race was canceled because of the stress it would have put on emergency officials who are still trying to help those left homeless and without electricity.
     But now those runners are pitching in for storm relief.

  When the announcement was made so many runners had their plans changed suddenly. So Doctor Andy Baldwin, who was in New York City to run the marathon had an idea. Baldwin, whom a lot of people know for being The Bachelor on the popular dating show, rallied together his friends and his fans.

"You have hundreds of thousands of people that are not going to have anything to do so why don't we utilize that workforce and go help out the regions in need. So it was really neat to see that groundswell manifesting, " said Baldwin.

     He and his friends started pages on social media sites called "New Marathon" that gathered together the displaced runners and turned them into volunteers. They boarded the ferry to Staten Island, caught buses and got to work.

"It really is an experience I'll never forget. It really showcases that in times of need and social media, you can really mount and make a difference, " Said Baldwin.

     He says thousands joined the cause this weekend and helped so many people who just needed their helping hands right now.
     Local runner Lisa Mullis was supposed to be in the New York City marathon. she trained all year for it. While her heart goes out to the victims of Sandy, she's disappointed how race organizers and the city handled the storm.

 "Everybody would have understood. We know what a hurricane is like living in Florida. Everybody expected it to be called off. They should have just called it right from the beginning," said Mullis.

     She says the trip to NYC cost her and her husband $3000 and that money's down the drain. She just wishes organizers had called the race off earlier rather than waiting till the last minute.