ING NYC Marathon Fan just misued the "penultimate," but that's okay, it's the most misused word in the English language. It does not mean "greater than ultimate"; it means the "second to last" in order.
Chelsea's ridiculous notion that NYC is now a second rate affair and that Chicago now has greater prestige is one propagated on this message board but hardly shared by the running public and the general public. NYC is the one international masses flock to. The fact that Chicago yields a few fast times on a fast course with fields that are NOT terribly deep means little when you compare the depth and quality of New York's champions, who in recent years have included several reigning Boston champions. And compare the American fields in NYC and Chicago and tell me NYC is "second rate." Puhleeze.