Good news for marathoners who missed NYC; Philly opens up 3000 positions Canceling the NYC was the right thing to do, since resources should be put toward helping those who do not yet have services such as heat and water, or in some cases homes. The NYC marathon never has been cancelled before, however, extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary decisions by government. The good news is that the Philadelphia marathon has just opened 3000 running positions for those who have been displaced, trained hard and want another chance at running a premiere marathon this fall in the Northeast. Read about it here as reported by Runners World magazine Philly Marathon Opens 3,000 Spots for NYC Runners The Philadelphia Marathon announced late Tuesday it’s opening 3,000 slots for those registered but unable to run the ING New York City Marathon. The sold-out Philadelphia race, scheduled for November 18, will have a lottery drawing to pick the 3,000 runners. Here are details from a press release issued by Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s office: New York City race competitors can enter a lottery to register for the 19th annual Philadelphia Marathon, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 7th at 9 a.m. EST and ending Thursday, November 8th at 5 p.m. EST. Mayor Nutter stresses that the offer is available only to marathoners previously registered for the November 4th New York City Marathon. “In the wake of Hurricane Sandy and the many challenges created by it, we are honored to welcome New York City marathon participants to Philadelphia,” said Mayor Michael Nutter. “We understand that marathoners have invested a great deal of time, training and dedication to prepare, and so we’ve decided that adding up to 3,000 competitors is something we can do to support the running community.” Mary Wittenberg, CEO of New York Road Runners, which produces the New York City Marathon, said today, “We are grateful to the Philadelphia Marathon and Mayor Nutter for their generosity in inviting runners who were affected by the cancellation of the ING NYC marathon. Read more