nyc marathon

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, to many people's surprise, the NYC Marathon was still scheduled to run this weekend. But after growing pressure in NYC and around the country, city officials and organizers just announced that the NYC Marathon will not be held this Sunday. The marathon has been held every year since 1970, and this is the first time in the marathon's history that it's been postponed or canceled entirely. Although the details are still up in the air, our hearts go out to all affected by the storm.

See the statement from the New York Road Runners and Mayor Michael Bloomberg after the break.

"It was something that was never on my radar. Then I thought, why not just do it? Why not just throw my body out there and try and see what I can do?"

— Robin Quivers on running the New York City Marathon. The radio personality, 58, told People that three years ago she could barely walk a few blocks. She then switched to a vegan diet and began exercising — 80 pounds later, and she's running in a marathon!

This weekend we shared that the winners of the 2010 New York City Marathon are Edna Kiplagat of Kenya and Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia. But what about all those celebs that were running? We were able to find 12 notables in the ING results database and posted their times below. From the looks of it, being a Bachelor really gets you to the head of the pack!

• Ryan Sutter, The Bachelorette, season one: 03:20:39
• Dr. Andy Baldwin, The Bachelor, season 10: 3:31:48
• Bobby Flay, celebrity chef: 04:01:37
• Anthony Edwards, actor: 04:04:45
• Justin Gimelstob, retired tennis pro: 04:09:58
• Amani Toomer, retired football pro 04:13:45

See more results when you read more

Of the 42,000 runners that hit the road for the New York City Marathon, there were two clear winners: Edna Kiplagat of Kenya took home the women's title, and Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia took home the men's.

This is Edna's first major marathon title; she won it with a time of 2:28:20. Our eyes were on American Olympian Shalane Flanagan, and she did not disappoint. Shalane crossed the finish line 20 seconds after Edna for a second place victory! An American woman has not placed in the top two since Kim Jones did it in 1990. And this was Shalane's marathon debut.

This was also 26-year-old Gebre's first appearance in the NYC Marathon; he finished the course in 2:08:14. Gebre ran alone for the last two miles of the race and had a full one minute advantage over the second place winner, Emmanuel Mutai of Kenya.

We're so proud of the winners and to all who ran! Check back tomorrow to find out how these celeb entrants did.

I've already confessed my brand loyalty to Asics running shoes and admitted I'm currently harboring four pairs in my closet. One pair is super-old and worn out, I use them for walking in the rain and yardwork; one pair is a decent pair of running shoes that I'll wear on short runs; and another the awesome new Gel Kayano 17s I love. But the fourth pair, the pair waaay in the back, are the shoes I wore during the 2008 NYC Marathon — one of the best days of my life.

I'm a nostalgic person to begin with, so couple that with my extremely positive memories from my first-ever marathon, and I can't bring myself to get rid of the shoes I used to run the race. I'll wear them around the house or here and there just because they're great shoes, but for the most part, I have plans to keep them in my closet indefinitely. In fact, if there is a way to preserve a pair of running shoes forever, I probably would do it.

I'm not sure if this sounds adorable or ridiculous, but the shoes, after traveling 26.2 notable miles with me, carry incredible meaning. Does anyone feel the same way?

The New York Marathon is fast approaching, and I'm excited for Shalane Flanagan's debut at the distance. Running shoe giant Asics is one of the renowned race's sponsors and I am liking the sneaker company's new ad promoting the race.

We all know that no matter the distance, no matter the setting, running releases more than just sweat. When I'm pounding the pavement, I sometimes feel like the runner in this ad. I can almost see my negative thoughts, bad mood, and stress leaving my body. Does that happen to you? What does running do for you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Each October, New York starts gearing up for the ING New York City marathon, held the first Sunday in November. The route is marked by banners, and eager New Yorkers complete their final long training runs in preparation for the race. Two years ago, I ran the race, and it was a life-changing and awesome experience! Here, five somewhat clichéd but completely true life lessons I learned from my first marathon:

• Pain is temporary, pride is forever. The origins of this statement are debatable, but it's true. Two years post-race, I still rightfully call myself a marathoner. Ten years post-race I will probably still call myself a marathoner.

• Never, ever underestimate the importance of support. That photo to the right is of my family, who were the most supportive people I could imagine — I mean, check out the sign! The NYC marathon is especially great because there are very few parts of the race with no cheering spectators. And during those last draining miles, crowd and family support can take you far!

Check out the rest of my points after the break.

With my fave distant runner Kara Goucher out on maternity leave along with her newfound training partner, marathon royalty Paula Radcliffe, I was looking forward to watching Olympic medalist Deena Kastor take Manhattan in the upcoming New York Marathon. But now she is in a family way, too, and has withdrawn from the race, although Deena will be there to cheer on her pals. Congrats to all the mommy marathoners!

Just when it looked like there would be no American women to root for on Nov. 7, Shalane Flanagan announced she would debut at the marathon distance in the Big Apple. Shalane won bronze in the 10,000-meter race at Beijing in 2008, but she is adding roughly 20 miles to her signature distance. The US national record holder for both the 5k and 10k, Flanagan blogged that she's enjoying the training process for "the hardest race of her life." She's also the November cover girl of Runner's World. Best of luck to you, Shalane. We can't wait to see what you can do.