Jared Thigpen, a 32-year-old engineer, was on a bus coming from Washington DC on Friday morning, ahead of the Sunday race.
An 11-time marathon runner, he entered the lottery to run New York’s race three years in a row before winning a spot.
“It’s one of the biggest marathons in the world, I see it on TV every year, it looks amazing,” he told AFP.
But after the storm, he had expected the city to cancel the marathon.
“I personally thought that they would and should cancel it,” he said. “There are still people in need of police support and help from city officials that are now going to be distracted by putting on the race.”
Christina Wallace, a 28-year-old first time marathon runner, expressed similar discomfort.
“I don’t think it’s the right decision,” she said. “I understand the economic impact of the race but I think postponing a week or two, or rescheduling… would be preferable.”
“At the very least I think the starting line should be moved from Staten Island to Brooklyn. Staten Island arguably has been hit the hardest of the boroughs… It doesn’t feel right to line up yards away from that devastation.”
Alex Zerden, 27, got involved with the marathon to raise money for the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, but is now “conflicted” about the race.
“My hope is that the resources are being put where they should be, first and foremost helping those in need now,” he said.
“Helping people in need should be the first priority,” he added. “But I also understand the importance of getting back to normal and maintaining the resiliency of the city.”
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