Security Tight as NYC Prepares for Marathon 2 Days Before Election

NEW YORK—Security is tight as New York City prepares for its annual marathon, set to begin at 8 a.m. on Sunday, one year after record-breaking participation in the 2023 marathon and just two days before Election Day.
Officials expect at least 33,000 participants this year, or possibly more. In preparation, officials have actively ramped up security. On Friday morning, the discovery in Central Park of an object that initially looked suspicious briefly caused a closure of part of the park and raised security concerns over the coming race. But a bomb squad quickly found the device not to be dangerous.
With former President Donald Trump’s sold-out Madison Square Garden rally having just happened on Oct. 27, the city’s annual Halloween Parade on Thursday, the marathon on Sunday, and Election Day on Tuesday, New York City officials will have grappled with huge security and logistical issues for four events in the space of a little over one week.
The first phase of the race, the professional wheelchair division, will commence at 8 a.m., followed at 8:22 with the handcycle category and athletes with disabilities. The professional women’s open division begins at 8:35, and the professional men’s open division at 9:05.