New York Road Runners Marks 50th Anniversary of Marathon

New York Road Runners is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the TCS New York City Marathon this year. The milestone marks five decades since the race expanded its route to cover all five boroughes of New York City.

ABC 7 New York will air a half-hour special titled "Countdown to the Starting Line" on Saturday, Oct. 31. The program will broadcast late at night following the Eyewitness News broadcast. It will also stream continuously on the network's digital platform.

Liz Cho and David Novarro, anchors for Eyewitness News, will host the show. They will join meteorologist Brittany Bell and sports anchors Ryan Field and Sam Ryan. Field will discuss top competitors, while Ryan will cover the wheelchair division. Bell will provide a visual overview of the course.

George Hirsch, one of the five original founders of the five-borough race, will appear in the program. He will discuss his role in creating the modern marathon format. The segment will detail how the event evolved from four loops around Central Park to a city-wide course.

The special features a Bronx resident who is 80 years old. She began running three years ago and will complete her first marathon on Sunday. She plans to continue running into her 90s.

Anchors Liz Cho and Mike Marza will share their reasons for running the full distance. They are raising funds for the Alzheimer's Association in honor of their colleague, Bill Ritter. The show includes an interview with Ritter regarding his recent diagnosis and the upcoming race.

Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners, will discuss the Hands-Only CPR training available at the event expo. He will explain the organization's goal to ensure medical assistance is immediately accessible to participants. The broadcast has covered the marathon since 2013 alongside ESPN2.