This Sunday, November 4^th at 10:50am over 30,000 athletes will compete in one of the greatest spectacles in road running, the New York City Marathon. With more than two million spectators on the course it is the largest live sporting event in the world. It will also be telecast nationally on NBC at 3pm EST.

The 32^nd annual marathon began as a small event run entirely in Central Park. Since 1976, it has transformed into a prestigious five borough happening that is embraced by all of New York City. The runners are treated to an entire weekend of events and become part of a visual experience that few other courses can match.

Everything is done on a grand scale. The pasta dinner, expo, press conference, celebrity dinners, post race awards ceremony and dance party are like an endless Broadway production. There is also a pre-race race for the huge contingent of foreign athletes that attend called the International Breakfast Run.

Thanks to the vision of former race director Fred Lebow the event now begins following the famous painted blue line on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island. It is the longest single-span bridge in North America. From there, the course spills out into the streets of Brooklyn where over 2 million people including the City's largest African-American community reside.

At half way runners climb the Pulaski Bridge and enter Queens. The first male and female runner to cross receive a special award from the Polish Embassy. At 15 miles they reach the Queensboro Bridge and get a dramatic view of the midtown Manhattan skyline. Running up 1^st Avenue marathons are greeted with the roar of spectators often packed deeper than the Thanksgiving Day Parade. What goes unnoticed are the many churches that still hold services in more than five different languages to accommodate the large European congregation.

At 19 miles, runners enter the Italian district and East Harlem now home to a large Hispanic population. From there only a mile is spent in the Bronx before returning to Manhattan. This year the course has been slightly changed. Runners will now see the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright before heading into Central Park at 90^th Street.

At 24 miles, runners will pass the largest art museum in the world, the Metropolitan. From there they loop in and out of Central Park to finish along side the Tavern on the Green restaurant.

Logistics along the course include mile and kilometer banners, video check points, live bands, 1.5 million cups of water, 22,000 gallons of Gatorade, sponge and energy bar stations.

Marathoners compete for more than $250,000 in prize money and must complete the event within 8.5 hours before the city streets are open to traffic.

Tip of the Week: Once you have soaked in the experience of completing a marathon the runner's high disappears and you are sometimes left with the post-marathon depression. Take a look at one of the running calendars and set a new goal to work toward.