New York City prepares for Sunday marathon

City commissioners and officials painted the finish line for the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon in Central Park on Wednesday, celebrating a return to the race’s full capacity after last year’s scaled-down event.

50,000 runners are estimated to be competing on Sunday and in preparation, the Department of Transportation will paint a 26.2 mile stripe to mark the marathon route across the city’s five boroughs beginning on Thursday.

The stripe, which will take 50 gallons of blue paint to complete, will be four inches wide and traverse five bridges in the city and approximately 300 intersections.

Due to COVID-19, last year’s race was only half the size of this year’s and in 2020 the marathon was canceled completely.

All participants will be screened before they reach the start line in Staten Island and the marathon will be a “secure, visibly policed event,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told the ABC News local affiliate WABC.

Spectators will be able to cheer on runners all along the route, and people who want to experience the finish line in Central Park will be screened.

The event’s scale means that the NYPD is deploying additional resources to make sure the event remains safe and fun. NYPD counterterrorism chief Martine Materasso told an ABC News local affiliate that explosive detection equipment, plainclothes teams, canine units and other resources will be used on Sunday.

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The New York City Marathon, which is celebrating its 52nd anniversary, is one of the largest in the world. Runners participate from countries spanning every corner of the globe, which was a significant source of frustration for organizers last year, as international travel restrictions only relaxed in the U.S. the day after the marathon.

The race, per usual, is also open to athletes with disabilities, as well as those competing with wheelchairs and handcycles, for which special start times have been designated.

Last year, race officials added a special category for runners that identify as nonbinary and the New York Times reported that this year nonbinary runners will compete for a special pool of prize money.