The Great NYC Marathon Mystery: Did They All Make It, or Did Someone Get Lost in a Pretzel Stand?
Ah, the New York City Marathon. A glorious autumnal tradition where 50,000 runners conquer 26.2 miles, cheered on by a city that runs on Dunkin' (and probably a significant amount of adrenaline). But here's the thing: everyone focuses on the finishers, the champions, the folks who become temporary celebrities for a day because, hey, running that far is no small feat. But what about the unsung heroes? The mythical creatures we never hear about?
I'm talking, of course, about the DNFers (Did Not Finishers).
Now, before you write them off as quitters, let's paint a realistic picture. The NYC marathon course is a five-borough adventure, which sounds fantastic until you hit mile 20 and realize the only sightseeing you've done is arguing with a rogue pigeon over a discarded bagel. There are walls of sound (courtesy of enthusiastic New Yorkers), questionable weather patterns (it could be sunshine and then suddenly a hailstorm, because, New York), and enough pretzel stands to make even the most focused runner question their life choices.
So, the real question is:
How Many Brave Souls Didn't Quite Reach the Finish Line in 2022?
Here's the shocker: We don't actually have official numbers on DNFers. The New York Road Runners, the folks who orchestrate this whole madness, only celebrate the finishers. Kind of like that gym membership commercial that only shows people lifting weights and looking fabulous, conveniently forgetting the guy on the treadmill watching cat videos.
But fear not, intrepid data detective! We can use some deductive reasoning (and maybe a sprinkle of speculation) to crack this case. We know 47,838 runners officially finished the 2022 race. That's a monumental achievement, by the way. Those folks deserve a celebratory pizza (or ten). But with a starting field of over 50,000, there has to be a decent chunk of people who, well, didn't quite make it.
Did they get swept away by a rogue wave of confetti? Did they decide to join a spontaneous dance party instead? The world may never know.
Here's the thing: DNFing a marathon isn't a failure. It's a testament to the fact that you showed up, you gave it your best shot, and sometimes, life (or a particularly stubborn pretzel vendor) throws you a curveball. The true winners are the ones who laced up their shoes and dared to dream of conquering the concrete jungle.
So, the next time you hear about the NYC Marathon, remember the DNFers. They may not have a medal, but they definitely have a story (and maybe a serious case of chafing).
