Defiant New Yorkers line streets for marathon

NEW YORK — Five days after an attacker killed eight people and injured 12 others in lower Manhattan, the annual New York City Marathon ran without a hitch Sunday, as New Yorkers expressed determination to go about their lives — though under a heavy blanket of security.

Along the race route in Brooklyn, crowds lined the street, sometimes four deep, toting small children, holding signs and ringing bells to cheer runners on.

More than 50,000 participants crossed the finish line, and the New York Police Department estimated about 2.5 million spectators.

Heavy security was visible, with counterterrorism police and National Guard officers in fatigues stationed at major intersections, dump trucks filled with sand blocking off roads and helicopters circling above.

In Manhattan, near the finish line at Central Park, sand trucks were parked at multiple points along Columbus Circle, and what looked like police officers using binoculars could be seen from high-rise apartment buildings.

“Coming from the Oculus out here, it was obvious there was a big security presence,” said spectator Drew Clausen, referring to the transit hub near the World Trade Center.

Clausen’s wife, Annie, said it was “reassuring” to see so many police out on the streets.

The Clausens, of Columbus, were at the race with other family members to cheer on their brother, a former New Yorker who they said expressed no hesitation about running Sunday.

“He was more concerned about getting sleep, eating carbs and qualifying for Boston,” Drew Clausen said.

Francisco Garat was visiting from Buenos Aires. Five of the people killed in Tuesday’s attack were also from Argentina, visiting as part of a group celebrating its 30th high- school reunion.

“They were just having a good time, and it turned into disaster,” Garat said.

But Garat said he was undeterred from coming out to watch two friends run in the race.

“I feel safe — much safer than in Buenos Aires,” he said. “And if something happens, it’s just bad luck, and what are you going to do?”

Eunice Hong brought her two sons to watch their dad compete in the event. She said she was on heightened alert, but skipping the marathon was never in question.

“We can’t not live our lives,” she said.

Hong and her family live in Tribeca in Manhattan, just a few blocks from where Tuesday’s terrorist. But she took her kids trick- or- treating in the neighborhood that night.

“I have faith in the New York Police Department,” she said. “I almost felt safer with all the police out.” Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. million. million. million. million.

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