Police tighten N.Y. marathon security to calm jittery city

NEW YORK — Two days after a pickup struck and killed eight people in lower Manhattan in what the authorities called a terrorist attack, runners preparing for the New York City Marathon on Sunday sought to beat back anxiety as police announced additional security measures.

Competitors picking up their race materials Thursday chatted excitedly about the course and the doughnuts, beer, pizza and other rewards they would treat themselves to after they crossed the finish line.

But many also admitted that the attack, which occurred on a bike path along the Hudson River, rattled them and left them hoping race organizers and the police were doing everything possible to keep the event safe.

“Being that I always run the West Side Highway, it is sad,” said Callie Gates, an entrant from New Jersey who will be running the race for the first time. “It was people just coming into town, taking a bike ride. That’s really sad. You just never know. That’s the scary part.”

Jeanine Ibrahim, 37, who is running in her first New York City Marathon said, “It did cross through my mind. What if somebody tries to do something at the marathon?” She added, “At the same time, I’m still going to run the marathon.”

At a news conference, officials with the New York Police Department discussed a range of additional security measures.

Carlos Gomez, the chief of department, said there would be more sand trucks and other vehicles to block intruders from entering the course. Gomez also said the department had doubled the number of rooftop observation posts and countersniper teams in all five boroughs. More uniformed police officers, counterterrorism officers and police dogs will patrol the event.

He declined to comment on the specific number of officers at the race, but noted, “It will be the most deployed at this event.”

Since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, in which three people were killed at the finish line, security at New York’s marathon has increased. Runners are no longer allowed to run in baggy costumes that could conceal weapons. Backpack water containers and other bags are prohibited; runners may carry only a clear plastic bag provided by race organizers.

Chris Weiller, a vice president for New York Road Runners, which organizes the marathon, said the dropout rate for this year’s race has not been higher than in previous years.

More than 50,000 runners from more than 125 countries and all 50 states are expected to pass before some 2.5 million spectators.