Despite Terror Attack, 2017 NYC Marathon Will Go On As Planned

NEW YORK, NY — Nothing slows New York runners down. The New York City Marathon will go on as planned Sunday — with beefed-up security from police — just days after a deadly terror attack in Tribeca, officials said Wednesday.

The annual race through the five boroughs is expected to draw 51,000 runners and more than 2.5 million spectators lining the streets, officials said.

The NYPD is bolstering its security plan with extra uniformed and plainclothes cops, heavily armed counterterrorism patrols and rooftop snipers, Chief of Department Carlos Gomez said Wednesday.

"It will be an extraordinary event, as it always is," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference Wednesday. "It will be well protected, as it always is."

The Nov. 5 marathon will come five days after Sayfullo Saipov allegedly drove a pickup truck down a Hudson River bike path just blocks from the World Trade Center, killing eight people and injuring a dozen others Tuesday afternoon. Officials say it was a terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State group.

Also See: NYPD Deputy Commissioner: NYC Truck Attacker Planned For Weeks

Police will place more big trucks on side streets than ever before to block cars from the marathon route, Gomez said. A police helicopter will watch the street and the rooftops from above, he said.

The security measures will complement an increased security presence throughout the city in the wake of Tuesday's attack. The NYPD is doubling the number of cops in crowded places throughout the city, including airports, tunnels and subway stations, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

The New York Road Runners, the group that organizes the marathon, said "the safety and security of our runners, staff, volunteers, and spectators is our top priority." Though the race will go on as normal, the Road Runners postponed some pre-race media events scheduled for Wednesday, according to ESPN.

"Together with our agency partners, we have extensive safety and security measures in place, both visible and behind the scenes," the New York Road Runners said in a statement Tuesday. "We are constantly reviewing our plans with law enforcement and will consider any necessary modifications or enhancements."

The 26.2-mile marathon route winds through the five boroughs, starting at the Verrazano Bridge in Staten Island and ending in Central Park. Dozens of roads — including the Queensboro Bridge and the streets within Central Park — will be closed to cars for all or part of Sunday.

Saipov's attack targeted New Yorkers as they exercised on one of Manhattan's most scenic greenways. But officials encouraged the city to enjoy the marathon as though nothing happened.

"The marathon will go on, because New York goes on, and it's an important event for all of New Yorkers," Cuomo said Wednesday.

(Lead image: Runners in the 2016 New York City Marathon wave along the race route. Photo from New York Road Runners)