The New York City Marathon is coming up next month. If you’re not running this year and want to support those who are, the Queens Centers for Progress (QCP) will be organizing a special Queens cheering section to support the runners in the marathon as they run through the Long Island City leg of the race.
The cheer section will meet on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. on 44th Drive and 21st Street near the Pulaski Bridge, which is the race’s halfway point.
This will be the sixth year that the QCP will be setting up a cheer station for the marathon. It started because the QCP are NYRR Charity Partners and have a team of seven runners who are out there raising money and awareness about the organization. The cheer section grows every year, allowing more people to cheer for the other 50,000 runners in the race.
“QCP is all about community and all about Queens,” said Wendy Phaff, assistant director of development at QCP. “The cheer section is an opportunity for residents in Queens to unite and show the world what we are made of. It’s amazing how having us there to lift the runners’ spirits and to show our support along the course makes such a difference. It gives them something to remember our borough for, something to talk about when all is said and done.”
People of all ages are welcome in the cheering section. The cheerers are encouraged to bring as many people as possible. The QCP will be handing out pompoms (courtesy of Queens Tourism Council), Kazoos (courtesy of JFA Insurance Brokerage in Bayside), balloons (courtesy of Bunch of Balloons) and cowbells (courtesy of Municipal Credit Union).
Visit the QCP website for more information about their involvement in the NYC Marathon. Here are some scenes from the cheering section at last year’s marathon.
