The marathon organizers have given permission for Tom and Pam and their two bridesmaids and two best men to start out together.

Given the staging area - the public streets and Central Park - it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for marathon organizers to keep unofficial marketers at bay.

In many cases the marathon organizers are required to reopen the roads to the public so that traffic can return to normal.

The marathon organizers refused, so a second set of portable toilets was ordered.

In the meantime, many marathon organizers, fearing lawsuits and protests, have chosen to include handcycles (also known as handcranks), but they often exclude them from receiving prize money or public recognition.

Despite the painful reminders that will still be there weeks from now, the marathon organizers say they never considered canceling the events.

That annual award, named for the 1960 and 1964 Olympic champion from Ethiopa, is presented by the New York Road Runners Club, the marathon organizers, for outstanding contributions to long-distance racing.

Doughnuts and marathons generally do not mix, but the chain approached marathon organizers this year in part because the company had rolled out a new marketing slogan: America Runs on Dunkin'.

Increased turnout, however, is not necessarily a good thing for marathon organizers, who account for a certain number of dropouts when determining how many runners they will allow in the field.

As the bus pulled to the starting line, Bernd Duengen, a marathon organizer from Germany, muttered the word catastrophe.