Off & Running

Sponsors, Race Execs Prep For N.Y. Marathon

The premier event in road racing will commence Sunday morning when more than 39,000 runners converge on the Big Apple for the 39th running of the ING N.Y. Marathon. This year's race boasts a stout 28 sponsors aiming to deliver unique activations ahead of and during Sunday's running. N.Y. Road Runners' Mary Wittenberg says the race has not been affected by the economy, and notes sponsors are activating "as much, if not more, than ever before." And in a continued effort to grow the marathon, NYRR may borrow a page from the Jets' playbook and auction off lifetime "seats" in the event. Meanwhile, N.Y. Times scribe Liz Robbins offers THE DAILY an inside look at her new book based on the '07 marathon, "A Race Like No Other," which one critic says "gets closer to this marathon than an avenue railbird, and it leaves impressions not fleeting, but lasting."

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