By Michele Westgate

The New York City Marathon began in 1970 with 127 runners and a budget of $1,000. Today, the ING-sponsored race has grown to the status of World Class Marathon.

With 38,000 runners, 12,000 volunteers and two million spectators along the course, the race brings in $200 million to the New York economy.

In planning the event, there is a coordinated effort between the New York Road Runners and several New York City agencies. “Our job is to establish strong relationships with city agencies,” said Paul Ortolano, events director for the New York Road Runners, an organization dedicated to promoting long distance running, and manager of the team that plans the marathon.

He explained that agencies such as the New York Police Department, New York Fire Department, the Mayor’s office, Department of Transportation, and the Sanitation Department all work together to create a safe and successful event. Planning for the following year begins the day after the marathon, and the agencies work together to create detailed plans in the event of an emergency.

After the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, where high temperatures created a dangerous situation for runners and workers, planners of the 2007 ING New York Marathon have included additional precautions for this year’s race. “Extra water trucks are going to be out on the race course to respond to and aid runners immediately,” Ortolano said.

In addition to the extra supplies for runners, Ortolano explained that communication is very important. Volunteer amateur radio operators (hams) are the key source of communications for the New York Marathon. “This event cannot happen without the ham radio operators,” Ortolano said. “They are the eyes and ears of the event.”

In response to the Chicago Marathon, there will be more ham radio operators in more locations this year. “We are adding more people to walk up and down the course” said Steve Mendelsohn, the director of communications for the race.

Mendelsohn entered the University in 1963 as an engineering student. He is now a senior engineer at ABC in New York and the recipient of a Technical Emmy for his part in ABC’s “2000: Millennium Around the World.” He became involved in the marathon in 1975, when NY Marathon founder Fred Lebow came to a Tri-State Repeater Council meeting, an organization of radio clubs, looking for an amateur radio expert. “I stepped out of the room for a minute, and when I came back I had been drafted into the position,” Mendelsohn said. He has been the New York Marathon director of communications ever since.

Now, Mendelsohn is responsible for recruiting ham radio operators for the event and placing them in vital positions along the course. Some of these positions include the start and finish lines, water trucks, medical stations, and checkpoints throughout the race path. This year he expects to have 400 volunteer radio operators from nine different states.

“We have a tremendous amount of communications expertise,” Mendelsohn said. He explained that ham operators are not just hobbyists. They specialize in various forms of communicating, using a variety of equipment from walkie-talkies to long-range radios. “Our forte is brief, but effective communication,” Mendelsohn said.

Many of the same volunteer radio operators for the marathon were utilized following the attack of the World Trade Center in 2001. The collapse of the towers destroyed the ability for police and fire workers to communicate. “The ham operators volunteered their facilities in various shelters, in emergency and police cars, and at temporary rescue stations” said Mendelsohn.

Today, radio frequency identification technology (RFID) is used to track runners from the start point of the race to the finish line. “Runners are equipped with Champion chip devices that track their progress throughout the race,” Ortolano said.

This year there will be 38 to 40 professional female runners competing along with 30 professional male counterparts. According to Ortolano, this is the first year with more professional women than men. He attributes this to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Men’s Marathon, hosted by the New York Road Runners and New York City, which is held on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 7:35 a.m. in Central Park.

The 2007 ING New York Marathon will be held on Sunday, Nov. 4. Early start time is 8 a.m. for athletes with disabilities, followed by the wheelchair division at 9:05 a.m. Professional women leave the start line at 9:37 a.m. and professional men at 10:08 a.m. with the open field runners. Television coverage of the race will be aired on WNBC 4 beginning at 9 a.m.

Professional men and women runners are monitored by ham radio operators, who are the chief source of communication at the marathon. (espn.com)