Attributing growth in NYRR events and NYC running in general to Mary Wittenberg is a correlation/causation fallacy. We can look at the numbers from USA running and see pretty clearly that growth is across the board, not just in NY. In NYC, the rise in running's popularity is better attributed to improved infrastructure including greenpaths, bicycle lanes, and expanded car-free hours in the park along with the same sort of demographic changes that have facilitated the growth in running nationally - increased female participation and retention of masters age runners. Credit for this can't be extended to MW or NYRR, which can't even lobby effectively to get the road lights fixed in Central Park. Seriously, for how many years were the street lights out on the 102nd street transverse (the site of the central park jogger's horrific gang-rape and mutilation.) And for how long will the lower loop on the east side south of 72nd remain dark?
With the increase in commercial sponsorship and corporate control over races, NYRR has also suffered a decline in financial transparency. We know Wittenberg receives an enormous salary and that the entire organization is bloated with an impressive degree of non-talent (which is not to disparage the talented slice of NYRR's staff.) Are they working for anyone other than themselves? Because we don't see the numbers and as poorly informed members we don't know what the true marketing value of selling race-sponsorship is, we don't have a particularly good idea as to whether the staff has even sold off our races for good value. In any case, what used to be events by-and-for members have become events at which members' mental real-estate is merchandised to a high bidder or allied business friend.
Case in point is the Brooklyn Half -- now the AirBNB half. The ass-ugly AirBNB logo appears no less than 4 times on the schwag shirt (which used to be a nicer v-neck but which has been cheapened this year) and the corporate logo will surely appear on the finishers medal. This certainly isn't done to support elite running - the prize money is nominal. And yet despite succumbing to a corporate branding exercise, the race is more expensive than ever $85 for non-members vs. (according to this thread, $11 less than a decade ago). Across 40,000 runners, it doesn't cost $20 or $40 or $55 (add sponsorship dollars) a head to pay for security, and street sweepers..... or if it really does, put up the numbers so we can see.
But you know what really pisses me off: its the insult to injury that NYRR's management chose to accept AirBNBs money at all. AirBNB is a business whose model is basically illegal throughout the entirety of New York City and which acts only to degrade the qualify of life for 99% of New Yorkers who comply with those laws. I'd be more excited about a summer run through a swamp sponsored by Mosquitoes.