Should the NYC Marathon be held on Sunday?

I am running the NYC Marathon on Sunday. I am not particularly proud of this statement, for a few reasons: 1. My training has been hampered by a nagging injury that won't go away; as a result, the race may not go too well; 2. Far more importantly, the effects of this monster storm, Sandy, has had on the city and surrounding areas makes you wonder whether a celebratory, life-affirming event like the marathon should be held, while thousands of people are picking up the pieces of their lives.

The last time I was in this situation was in September of 2001, right after 9/11. The Dutchess County Classic was scheduled for five days after 9/11. There was much debate over whether that event should have been held. I ran the now-defunct marathon on that Sunday, Sept. 16. We sang the National Anthem on the starting line, and I cried. I wrote a column in the next day's newspaper explaining the pros and cons of running that race. One of my best friends from college, a FDNY member, gave me his blessing to run the race. That's all I needed.

Here we are again. Should this race be held? I dunno. Canceling a race of this magnitude has so many other ramifications. But it still feels weird thinking about running through a city that was absolutely devastated by this natural disaster. The argument for running it is that it will show the world how resilient NYC is, and that life does go on. But the argument against running it states that the civil servants -- police, fire, etc. -- would be much better served working on getting Breezy Point and the Rockaways and the Battery, and all the other areas that were destroyed, back up and running.

Should we run? Ultimately, these decisions will be made by the powerful people in charge. My gut feeling is, they will find a way to get it done, and they will do it right. We'll see ...