The ceremonial lines have been drawn at the finish line for the TCS New York City Marathon in Central Park. Workers painted the lines of the course Wednesday ahead of Sunday's race.
The marathon starts on Staten Island and heads through to Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx before finishing in Manhattan. New York Road Runners, which organizes the event, says roughly 54,000 people are registered to race.
The NYPD plans to fan out across the race route.
“There will be parts of the program you don’t see [that] are in full effect: plain[clothes] officers in the crowds looking for anomalous behavior. Tips and leads, threats that are going to be followed if they materialize,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said.
There are currently no credible threats against the marathon or the city, according to the NYPD, but their teams are still prepared for the worst.
“[We had a] great table top exercise yesterday going over all possible scenarios that might take place. We want to pitch a shout out that nothing happens, but just in case, we need to be prepared for anything,” NYPD Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard said.
In a marathon first, organizers said there will be therapy dogs for runners to interact with before the race, as well as a “zen zone” for athletes to visualize their 26.2-mile journey.
“The New York City Marathon and the Five Borough Bike Tour for me are the two most important events to promote wellness,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodríguez said.
Officers say to expect street closures Sunday, with mass transit and walking being better options to get around.
For after the marathon, there are partnerships this year where runners can attend select New York City museums and institutions at a discount.