11.10.2010

The Wall Street Journal Interviews Scott Schiamberg on the Redesign of the NYC Marathon

Sports + Recreation Expert Opts Not to Stay the Course

The New York City Marathon course has remained unchanged and notoriously slow for over thirty years, and a result is losing some of the world's greatest runners to faster races in cities such as Chicago and London. Sports + Recreation expert Scott Schiamberg was recently interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, weighing in on his side of a route change debate.

Schiamberg, who served as a planner for New York's 2012 Olympic bid and worked on the design of the Olympic marathon course, sees potential in a redesign. A course similar to that designed for the Olympics could accommodate "40,000 [more] people who could be fundraising for great causes" in addition to creating a special opportunity to embrace the city's icons, which are sidestepped by the current route. "It's one of the great marathons in the world, and it could take advantage of a lot more of New York City," says Schiamberg.

For more on the discussion, link here to the Wall Street Journal's article Is Bigger and Faster Better for the Marathon?