They're Off For The 2014 Adirondack Marathon

Check Your Watches! And Go!

Under gray skies -- the bright neon colors of yellows pinks, greens and oranges of running gear worn by hundreds of runners -- shone brightly before the start of the 18th Adirondack Marathon.

You could feel the buzz of excitement in the crowd of spectators as the runners stretched and adjusted their iPods.

Among the runners from around the US, one in particular got a special call out today before the race: Dr. David King. After finishing The Boston Marathon Last year, he was completing his cool down on the way to Massachusetts General Hospital when the bomb went off at the finish line.

As an Army reservist and trauma surgeon at Mass General, he spent the next 30 hours treating the wounded. Today he is running with the 3:45 minutes Pace Bears. He got a big cheer from the crowd.

Just before 9am, Race Director Joel Friedman gave the runners last minute instructions and the runners were off, with Bruce Springsteen’s “Baby We Were Born To Run” blaring on the PA system.

We caught up with Joel moments after the start.

How are you feeling? “Busy,” Joel told us.  We reminded Joel that the weather gods couldn’t have given the runners a better temperature for their start: 56 degrees.

“For volunteers we can’t ask for better (weather). For runners, the start is awesome, but a little later in the day it’s gonna get hot.”

This year there are more than 700 volunteers involved with the weekend’s events, the largest number ever to participate. Joel praised each and every one of them.

“We couldn’t do this without them. The whole thing about the marathon is this cross participation of organization and communities, all coming together and all the local people coming together to make this spectacular event.