The participants of this year’s ING New York City Marathon, taking place on Sunday, November 1, 2009 are counting down to the starting gun. It is one of the world’s great road races, drawing more than 100,000 applicants annually. The course of this marathon, which is one of the largest marathons in the world, runs through all five boroughs of New York City: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan, uniting dozens of culturally and ethnically diverse neighbourhoods, crossing five bridges, and finishing in the world-famous Central Park. Make sure your accommodation in New York City is situated close to the course in order to be at the centre of this event, which has become a model for big-city marathon courses around the world.

Whether you are signed up for the big race or not, there are plenty of reasons to be there! More than 100 live bands will be stationed at regular intervals along the course to motivate and entertain around 37,000 participants and an expected two million cheering spectators alike. And the “New York City Marathon Health and Fitness Expo”, which is free and open to the public, will offer you everything you need to start or improve your own marathon training. So hurry up and get inspired at the ING New York City Marathon 2009.