“I feel overwhelmed,” said Diurno. “I feel very grateful for my team. And I couldn’t have done it without all these beautiful people, this is my family right here.”

Diurno crossed the finish line surrounded by about 15 other marathon runners that had already completed the marathon and went back to run the last 10 miles with him and cheer him on. Almost all of them were members of the Release Recovery organization, which helps people struggling with substance abuse and mental health transition back into sober daily living.

“So, they come to us and we teach you how to live in the real world,” said  Diurno. “But we’re there to support you. And we really care about people. People come first always.”

And, that’s exactly what the Release team did with Diurno and his first marathon. He said he was hesitant about running this marathon, but after training with other staff members for 10 weeks before the race, they convinced him to run and made sure he passed the finish line successfully — and that he wasn’t alone. 

Mario Diurno approaches the finish line after 11 hours of running with race organizers and his teammates cheering him on close by. Photo by Michelle Ng-Reyes

“It felt really good,” said Joe Zappone, the Director of Operations at Release Recovery. “My friend Mario has been struggling training for this marathon. And personally, I had my doubts… So it feels pretty good to see him finish.”

Besides his team at Release, Diurno said he had some extra help from a new friend. He met another runner, a woman named Freddy, who decided to run the rest of the race with him, passing the finish line by his side. 

“That lady Freddy is the nicest lady in the world,” Zappone said. “She helped him with the route, or else he might have gotten lost.”

Freddy left shortly after she and Diurno received their medals. However, Diurno got her phone number before she left and was determined to stay in contact with her. He said Freddy was one of the last runners on the course, just like him. Since most of the spectators and street sweepers that would hand out snacks and Gatorade had already left, they decided to see it through together all the way to the finish line. 

“I found Freddy, she found me, and that’s all we needed,” said Diurno. “And that’s a big symbol like in recovery, too. I can’t do it alone. You know what I mean? We’re in this together.”

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Just across the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, from 8 to 9 a.m., spectators cheered on the runners as they pass the two-mile mark. Some runners shared some special moments with each other, celebrated their strong starts and encouraged each other along with spectators in the crowd.

Miriam Haart, runner 2423, cheers other runners on as she crosses into Brooklyn. She waved at the photographers to the side of the road and cheered “You guys go!” as she passed. Haart finished the race at 1:43 p.m. with a time of 04:44:09.Photo by Michelle Ng-Reyes

David Samad, runner 5635, crosses the bridge and smiles as passerby cheer him on. David finished the marathon with a time of 05:07:35. Photo by Michelle Ng-Reyes.

An NYPD officer hugs her fellow officer who is running in the marathon. Photo by Michelle Ng-Reyes.

A runner holds up a peace sign as they cross the bridge. Crossing the bridge is the 2 mile mark of the race, which is known as the hardest part of the entire marathon to many runners. Photo by Michelle Ng-Reyes

Michael Ring, runner 7816, passes by the 2 mile mark into Brooklyn with his runner’s guide. “Do you know who I am?” he yelled. “I’m that famous guy, you know? Take my picture!” Ring,  was diagnosed with acute motor axonal neuropathy, a  variant of Guilliane-Barré syndrome which causes weakness in your extremities.   He has run over 20 marathons. Photo by Michelle Ng-Reyes

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Torres, 51,  has lived in the neighborhood for about 20 years. Before the bongo  he used to enjoy going out with his best friends to get Bloody Mary’s and ringing a bell during the morning of the marathon. But after a few years his fascination with ringing a bell was not the sound he wanted the runners to hear.

 “I’m taking bongo lessons now, so I’m just trying to pump up the crowd with them,” he said.

 Music is a huge part of the Green Point marathon spectator community. In every block is  a drummer motivating runners at the edge of a sidewalk. 

 “Well, I think music and food is the heart of the city,” Torres said, “So any chance people could get to bring their music out and to share with the public, whether they’re deejaying or live bands, it’s a great thing.” 

 Torres starting striking his bongos at  10 a.m.  with other neighborhood musicians, bringing back that rock star spirit that he said was lost during the pandemic. 

 “It’s bonkers playing. I was with the jazz band earlier that was cool,” he said. “They didn’t know me but wasn’t uninvited, as long your respectful and like just play in tune with them as much as possible, it’s great” 

When the runners flew bye the sound of the bongos made many of them  lift their hands in a fist and smile at Torres.

 “It’s good to see everyone out, like we gotta be able to enjoy our lives,” he said. “So maybe it just means we just do more things outdoors without having distress, cause this virus isn’t going away, but we can make the adjustments.”

 After being stuck at home for over a year Torres believes it’s time to take the city back and take advantage of the fact that the NYC Marathon is his backyard. He hopes everyone in his community is taking the vaccine seriously so musicians can begin playing at indoor venues during the winter. 

 “The more music we can bring the better. We need the future generations to keep us all moving forward,”said Torres.“We need you guys, your energy, your positive energies to everyone’s staying upbeat, we’re just trying to address some of the problems we have in this world.”

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Goubet, 61, of Hoboken, New Jersey is a marathon coach who has run the marathon three times and been cheering on runners for over 15 years.

 “I’m always here supporting, because it’s always beautiful,” said Goubet. “I find people beautiful but when these runners give everything they are even more beautiful. They give their hearts… it’s about what they do for others when they are running.”

 Goubet explained that she and her French running group ran for her friend’s daughter who had a passion for running and passed away from brain cancer. Now, Imagine for Margo is a non-profit that exists to fight against childhood cancer.

 “Every year we raise money for her,” said Goubet. “Ninety point nine percent of the funds are going to child cancer research. This year we are close to $2 million.”

 Goubet turned back to the runners, spotting a man who she didn’t know limping.

 “Don’t give up, you’re so close! You’re so beautiful!” said Goubet, sticking with him shoulder to shoulder until he picked up his pace again.

 “I concentrate on four or five maximum people per year, and I take them from 5K to half marathon to full marathon,” said Goubet.

 Goubet cheered on partners she trained with, telling spectators their names before they ran past so the crowd could join in on chanting for them. She cheered for both friends and strangers like she’d coached them for years, getting into the street and running with them, screaming encouraging words.

 “I coach because I want to give something to people,” said Goubet. “I want to help them achieve their dream. For some people who have overcome sickness or injury, it’s so important for them to run again.”

 Goubet understands the impact of injury, having started to run only 20 years ago after breaking a vertebra in an equestrian injury as a teenager.

 “There’s always going to be something stopping someone,” said Goubet. “Look, there are some people who don’t have any legs here. You can always do something. You can always find a solution.”

 Goubet said that pain is inevitable, but not something that should disqualify people from running their race.

 “That’s part of life,” she said. “You don’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it. All ages are here today, all people can do it.”

 Goubet continued cheering as some of the first women raced past, teary eyed.

 “I think if people were running more, there would be less war,” said Goubet. “You see the ambiance here today? You hear screaming, you see people cheering, and you believe you can run.”

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“This is a very inclusive event,” said Laura Daley, the Director of Development at East Side House Settlement, a South Bronx non-profit that works on community education through family development. “Between the people racing in wheelchairs to those from all over the world coming to race here, it’s incredible. The marathon is for everyone.” 

A runner pushes a wheelchair participant in The Bronx and The New York City Marathon. Photo by Laurel Poole. November 7th, 2021.

The Bronx supports this idea, with people of every age and class coming together to dance and cheer on runners they may or may not know. 

Set up with a table of balloons and cowbells, Daley was tracking eight runners that she had never met before.  

“Go Willie!” cheered Daley. “I don’t know him, but he seemed like he needed that extra little boost.” 

This is how the entire city, especially those within the boroughs orient themselves towards the marathon. While running or cheering in the Bronx, a person becomes a member of the community. 

Stationed in front of their community center in the South Bronx, Daley and other organizers cheered on their marathon team for the seventh year in a row. 

“It’s so fun, everybody gets onboard,” said Daley. “It’s a charity race, so most of these runners are running for a cause that they care about.” 

This year, East Side House Settlement has a team of eight people from all over the country who volunteered to run. They have raised more than $40,000 in 2021 for the charity. 

The funding will go towards East Side House Settlement’s daycare and afterschool programs, college access programs, and career training. The center has been a proud Bronx establishment since the 1960s.  

“It’s a great opportunity for charities to fundraise and meet new people, and to support people who support us,” Daley said. 

Since being established in 2006, the New York City Marathon charity program has raised over $350 million for over 1,000 non-profits globally. Runners pass by one of these non-profits in the Bronx. The East Side House Settlement’s buildings are all “within spitting distance” of the marathon, according to Daley. 

As the top edge of the marathon map, and a turning point before the finish line stretch, spectators can feel the excitement that runners have rounding the corner onto Morris Avenue. 

“Running through all of the boroughs of New York City is pretty iconic,” said Daley. “Especially turning the corner in the Bronx.” 

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Lira, who is a runner and triathlete, ran the marathon back in 2017. But today she was out there with her husband, Victor Lira, to support close to a dozen friends who were trying to accomplish the feat that she described as “wonderful” and “painful.” 

“You go through a lot of emotions as you’re going through each mile,” said Lira, “But the accomplishment that you feel afterwards is so remarkable.” 

Lira and her husband were playing music on a loudspeaker and also brought a megaphone to hype up every runner that ran by. A lot of runners wore their names on their chest, so Lira would yell names of people she did not know to urge them on. 

“If you turn this off (the music) you’ll hear how quiet it is,” Lira said “People start hurting so we want to be able to support them…It’s about being out here all day until the last person crosses.”

For them, it’s not just about helping out their friends, they are there to provide support for anyone who needs it. Lira even used Biofreeze to help a runner who was cramping up as she crossed through the area. 

Cari Lira gives runner Biofreeze to help her with cramps so she can continue the race. Photographed by Jose Balderrama

“I have extra so if any runners need any help we can help them,” Lira said “You can just tell when somebody’s suffering, having experienced it, you have to help them out.”

Another major theme of the day was the representation of different cultures during the race. Lira brought the Puerto Rican flag, which is where her family and some of her friends are from. They also had friends stationed at a later point in the race, where one friend, who Lira referred to as their “Flag Lady,”  had brought flags representing everyone in their friend group. 

“She has a flag that represents all of our friends so whenever we race she pulls out the flags,” Lira said, “She’s got her Belizean flag, she’s got the Puerto Rico flag, she’s got the Cuban flag, she’s got a flag to represent everybody.”

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“This race has always motivated me to get back to the gym and train myself for the next spring,” 77 years-old Connor said while awaiting elite runners who were about to enter Harlem in just a few minutes. 

He has been coming as a spectator every year since 1981. He only missed 1983. The 2020 race was canceled due to the pandemic.

 “Last year, I was going to celebrate my 40th anniversary of creating the record,” he said. “But I came up to celebrate this year because a world record is a world record.”

Ernes Connor welcoming runners at the end of Madison Avenue Bridge in Harlem to their 21st mile milestone. November 7, 2021. Photo by Nikol Mudrová

 And sure, he celebrated. He danced like he was still a young man as the first runners crossed the bridge after 11 a.m. 

 “I used to say to them, ‘Welcome to Harlem.’ When I am here, I know I can make it,” Connor said while he clapped his hands. 

Running a marathon provided him the understanding of how simple life really is and that he does not need to be intimidated about anything. Running a 26.2 mile marathon backwards is not a common feat, but Connor said there was a point to doing it this way.

“I wanted to be able to present myself as being a master of self-discipline, self-motivation, determination, and purpose,” Connor said.

He finished the race in five hours and 11 minutes and ran for the organization, The Tree of Life, which taught him about universal knowledge. 

 “It took all my boundaries off, and I felt like I could do anything,” he said.

Ernes Connor waiting for first marathon racers to enter Harlem, New York. November 7, 2021. Photo by Nikol Mudrová

 “When I started running, I was living deep in a ghetto in the Bronx,” Connor said. 

Today, he lives on the water in Atlantic City, which he considers a dream come true. 

“Not only did I run out of the ghetto, but I also ran the ghetto out of me,” he said. 

 Now, his purpose is to create a better quality of life for young people, which he is working on in Atlantic City-based project called Full Circle Family Entertainment. 

 But since he cannot run those far distances because of his knees anymore, he keeps himself fit by roller-skating with his grandchild and riding a bicycle on the Atlantic City boardwalk. 

 And as he learned around midday, that Kenya’s competitors Albert Korir and Peres Jepchirchir won both men’s and women’s races, he laughed. “Kenya took it again. You can only run around the corner, and they have already finished.” 

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“I always wake up for the wheelchairs because I love to see the disabled athletes do their thing,” Ruby Baron, 22, of Philadelphia, but a Williamsburg native said. 

She said the New York City Marathon was the first large event that showed her people with similar disabilities could race on an elite and welcoming stage.

  “The only disabled people I ever saw do stuff growing up was in the marathon,” Baron said. “I think the first time I had seen wheelchairs do anything was here.” 

In order to watch the wheelchair racers, Baron is at a viewing spot no later than 8:30 a.m. 

But this time it felt even more  special as she was excited to see all the runners back after the New York City Marathon took a hiatus last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It’s my favorite day of the year,” Baron said. “I love the marathon so much.” 

Baron has lived in Philadelphia for the past seven years so she makes  the trip annually, always traveling on a Saturday to watch the marathon on Sunday. 

Baron’s mother used to host parties when they lived  in North Williamsburg for marathon Sunday. 

“Every year we would have a huge party at our house,” Baron said. “So I think it was always a tradition for my family to come watch it so I never want to miss it.”  

She  said all the negativity about the city evaporates when the race begins and the city cheers them on. 

“I feel like on marathon day everybody’s on the same team,”Baron said.“Everybody is so excited to hang out and have their little coffee together.”

Baron believes that the representation that the marathon gave connected her to the event more, but did not think that was the only thing that impacted her love for the race.

“My connection to [it] was the camaraderie of this neighborhood,” Baron said.“I think I just really love to see everybody be on the same page.”

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Holding handmade signs with the names of four contestants Matt James, Peter Weber, Tyler Cameron, and Tayisha Adams,the friends from Long Island City, Bridget Betances, 28, Sam Urban, 24, Bridie Devereaux, 24, and Jessika Zachary, 27, screamed words of encouragement and eagerly awaited the arrival of the reality TV stars.

“You look hot!” “Make this bridge your bitch!” and “We love you!” were just some of the many chants the group screamed at the runners, causing many runners and spectators alike to turn their heads, smile, and thank the group for their energy. A marathoner, Lorenzo Maria Dell’Uva from Italy, even stopped in his tracks to take a picture of the enthusiastic bunch.

Lorenzo Maria Dell’Uva, a marathoner from Italy, stops before the entrance to the Queensboro Bridge to take a picture of the enthusiastic friend group at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 7, 2021.

Betances kept the TCSNYC2021 app open on her phone and frequently checked on the progress of the celebrity runners. As the celebrities approached the bridge, Bridget and her friends could barely contain their excitement.

Bridget Betances shows her friend, Sam Urban, 24, where Bachelor celebrities Tyler Cameron and Matt James are located in the marathon using the TCSNYC2021 app. Photo by Annie Jonas

The four celebrities arrived just before 11:30 a.m. Betances and Zachary waved their posters furiously in the air, screaming out their names. In the frenzy, Zachary dropped her poster beyond the police barricade and had to ask an officer to retrieve it for her. Tyler Cameron and Matt James turned to point and smile at the friend group before turning left onto the Queensboro Bridge to continue the marathon.

Bachelor celebrities Matt James (white shorts) and Tyler Cameron (blue shirt) smile and point at the friend group as they call out to them, before turning left onto the Queensboro Bridge. Photo by Annie Jonas

Betances hoped Cameron would stop and meet the friend group like he did in 2019, the first time Betances saw the “Bachelor” contestant at the New York City Marathon.

“We made cookies and we were like ‘Tyler! Tyler! Do you want cookies?’ and he came and took a photo with us. It was great, the energy” said Betances.

Urban, on the other hand, was indifferent about the “Bachelor” contestants being at the marathon. 

“I don’t personally care,” said Urban, who is waiting for her coworker to arrive. “We have some coworkers running, it’s really exciting. Our friend, Riley Wolfe, is like an amazing runner. He has been running these things for a long time.”

The friend group moved to Long Island City in Queens, from Indiana, where they went to college together. They said they live just across the street from the bridge and enjoy being cheerleaders to the marathoners.

“We live in Long Island City, so it’s nice to cheer on from our community,” said Betances.

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“We are going to be screaming and shouting for love today,” said Davis, 53. 

The DJ booth was situated just past the mile nine marker of the New York City Marathon. Davis believes the marathon is an ideal opportunity to spread positivity. 

“We have so much fun, we come out here every year,” said Davis. “There’s so much love in the city, in this neighborhood right here. We’re gonna be out here all day, live performances a little later, celebrating a birthday, a bunch of runners we’re supporting – the energy gets explosive.”

A current resident of Cambria Heights, Queens, Davis was raised in the Lafayette Gardens Housing Project and keeps close ties to the community there, considering it home. Amid the looming specter of Covid-19, Davis’s role in keeping spirits high on the corner of Classon Avenue and Lafayette Avenue has taken on added significance. 

“We’ve got Rudy Charles right now at the 13th mile marker that we’re tracking closely, he’s got a good chance. It’s his 6th race, he’s running for the few people he lost due to Covid-19,” said Davis. “Everybody’s running for something.”

Flagged by friend Rahim Deas filming close up shots for a Facebook livestream, Davis worked  his way up and down taped-off Lafayette Avenue. He mingled with onlookers hoisting signs, striking up conversations that leave the other person smiling a little wider, and is pulled away every other moment by someone needing his attention. He’s getting constant updates as to how the runners they’re supporting are progressing. Presently, Lydia Gonzales is of the utmost concern. 

“We’re tracking where everybody’s at, but have been waiting to go crazy for Lydia,” said Davis. “Her husband Patrick died just last week from Covid-19. They run this race every year, so we really want to make sure we show up for her today.” 

When news came that Gonzales was just two blocks away, Davis hustled back to the tent where the six-foot tall speakers were, letting his friend behind the Macbook know to cut the music when he gave the signal. 

As Gonzales appeared in the distance, Davis led the crowd on both sides of the street in chanting her name.  

“LY-DI-A! LY-DI-A! LY-DI-A!”

When she arrived in front of Lafayette Gardens, Davis and others dipped under the caution tape and spilled into the street, swarming Gonzales, showering her with love. She lingered for a moment, beaming and soaking in the support before trudging onward, 17 miles to go. 

“This has a purpose,” said Davis. “When you show love, nothing can beat it. Nothing can beat the love going on out here today.”

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