City officials and the organizers of Sunday’s marathon put the finishing touches on the race’s route and gave an update on safety measures Wednesday.
NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill and Peter Ciaccia, the TCS New York City Marathon’s race director, joined other representatives to paint the finish line inside Central Park.
O’Neill said his officers will work to make sure race day will be pleasant for the 50,000 runners and 2.5 million spectators who will line up throughout the five boroughs.
“We are ready for Sunday,” he said in a news conference after the line was painted.
In addition to the “several thousand” uniformed officers stationed throughout the 26.2-mile route, the NYPD will deploy plainclothes cops, 30 bomb-sniffing canines, and heavy weapons teams.
“They certainly serve as a visual deterrent to anyone who plans to do us harm,” said NYPD Chief of Department Carlos Gomez.
On Tuesday, the department conducted a tabletop exercise to plan for any scenario during the race. O’Neill said the NYPD isn’t taking for granted, especially after September’s bombing incident in Chelsea, but encouraged spectators to come out.
“We have many people working hard to make sure that New Yorkers and visitors are safe during this premiere event,” he said.
