NYRR AND NEW YORK CITY MODIFY BAGGAGE POLICY
Runners now offered two options; No-Baggage Early Exit or checked bag
NYRR Press Release
September 6, 2012
NEW YORK New
York Road Runners and City officials today jointly announced
modifications
to the ING NYC Marathon baggage policy that will allow runners the
option of either checking a bag for this years race on Sunday, November
4 or choosing a No-Baggage Early Exit.
In a letter to runners issued by e-mail this afternoon, NYRR President
& CEO Mary Wittenberg said, We have some good news to share with
you. Weve heard your feedback regarding the No-Baggage policy we
announced recently, and we understand your concerns. We
have worked with our city agency partners and have developed a new
solution for the 2012 ING New York City Marathon. Youll now have the
option of either checking a bag for this years race or choosing a
No-Baggage Early Exit option.
The letter continued, This adjusted 2012 marathon plan includes the use of reconfigured space that will enable us to offer a baggage option for those of you who prefer it, while still easing finish-line congestion and providing a better and safer post-race experience.
Howard
Wolfson, Deputy Mayor for Government Affairs and Communications, added,
As an avid runner and an NYRR member, Im pleased we were able to find
a solution that offers
runners the safest racing experience possible, and allows a runner to
check a bag if necessary. This continues the Bloomberg Administrations
effort to join NYRR in making the ING New York City Marathon the worlds
premier race. We needed to reduce post-race
congestion for the 47,000 runners, and through cooperation with NYRR,
the Mayors office, NYPD, Parks and other stakeholders weve produced a
plan that does just that.
In the letter, the two options were explained to runners as follows:
1. New No-Baggage Early Exit option: Runners choosing this
option will have the earliest exit from Central Park. They will receive a
Marathon Finish Line Poncho and a limited-edition long-sleeve t-shirt,
and have quickest access to the Family Reunion
area, Call Home stations, and public transportation.
2. Baggage option: Runners choosing this option will check
baggage in the Start Village and pick up their bags at exits farther up
on Central Park's West Drive. It should be noted that congestion is
still anticipated. As in the past, it could take up
to an hour for runners to retrieve bags and exit the park. The bag will
be smaller than in years past (although large enough to hold shoes,
warm clothing, and small personal items).
On August 23, NYRR announced that runners would no longer be permitted
to check baggage at the start of the race, under a new policy developed
to ease finish-line congestion and provide a better and safer post-race
experience given then-current space constraints.
Wittenberg added in the note to runners, Please know that all of us at
NYRR are deeply committed to you. We hope that having two options to
choose from will help you have the very best marathon-day experience.
More information about the new policy and what it means to race participants can be found at NYCMarathon.org
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