'Countdown to the Starting Line': Watch our half-hour special
NEW YORK -- ABC7's pre-marathon special "Countdown to the Starting Line," hosted by Eyewitness News Anchors Liz Cho and David Novarro, will be on Saturday, November 3 at 7:30 p.m.
The setting is the traditional carb-fest at the TCS New York City Marathon Pavilion, just steps from the finish line in Central Park. Thousands of runners from all over the world come to share the anticipation of the big race.
Eyewitness News Meteorologist Amy Freeze will also have the all-important race day forecast and sports anchors Ryan Field and Sam Ryan will have a look at the iconic course as well as which top runners to keep an eye on.
We'll meet defending champion, Shalane Flanagan, who shares her story about how it felt to be the first American woman to win this race in over 40 years. She also shares her secrets about healthy eating from her new cookbook and explains how she likes to incorporate apples into her diet -- a perfect tie-in with the NYC Marathon's 20-year partnership with New York Apple Growers.
We'll also meet an inspirational, "everyday" competitor, New Jersey's own Glenn Hartrick. He was an aspiring endurance athlete whose career was cut short by an accident which left him paralyzed from the chest down. But he didn't give up, this year he'll be the first competitor ever to race in the NYC Marathon as an able-bodied runner, a hand cyclist and wheelchair participant.
And we'll hear from a NewYork-Presbyterian Och Spine Hospital neurosurgeon about the impact long distance running has on the body, and ways to safeguard your back. There are takeaways we all can use, even a couch potato!
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* More TCS NYC Marathon coverage
