NEW YORK REVISITED (2012)

New York, City of Dreams, has truly managed to do the unthinkable. The New York City Marathon is cancelled. Standing in the customs queue, between snippets of election news, the marathon is on — then 'may be cancelled' — and as the murmur grows it becomes official: cancelled. Hurricane Sandy has done the unimaginable.

The city is underwater. Or rather: parts of it are, and the rest is in shock. We arrive in a New York that has lost its rhythm. No marathon, but also: no certainty, no power in parts of the city, and everywhere the aftermath of a storm that has left deep marks.

And yet — we run anyway. Not officially, not with a medal, not with thousands of spectators. But together, through Central Park, through a city that is picking itself up. It feels more significant than any official race. Running as solidarity. Running as a statement: New York, we are here.

The decision not to cancel the marathon — or rather, the decision to run it anyway, informally — felt right. Not everyone agreed. But for me, movement in the face of adversity has always been the answer. Running for Turner teaches that every day: keep going, even when circumstances are difficult.

New York 2012 has no official finish time. But it has a story. And sometimes a story is worth more than a medal.