NYPD: Bicycles, drones banned from marathon route

Bicycles and unauthorized drones will be barred from the route of Sunday's New York City Marathon as part of an intense effort by the NYPD to secure the safety of the event, officials said Wednesday.

Nearly 52,000 runners are expected to participate in the race through the five boroughs, one of the most famous marathons in the world. The race, also one of the largest in terms of participants, is organized by New York Road Runners with numerous corporate sponsors.

"The security picture last year was complex, this year even more so," NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner told reporters at a news briefing, referring to overseas conflicts, particularly in the Mideast, as well as potential political violence.

Weiner described what she said will be a robust security apparatus, including heavy weapons teams, canine patrols and bomb squads sweeping locations, as well as mobile response teams set to react to situations in all the boroughs.

"Anyone who tries to disrupt the run is subject to arrest," Weiner said.

The NYPD will also have a special counter-drone team in operation working with federal officials and Weiner stressed that unauthorized drones will not be allowed along the route. Weiner noted that sand-ladened blocker trucks will also be deployed at key intersections to prevent any unauthorized vehicles from penetrating the route.

Chief of Patrol John Chell said an interagency tabletop exercise took place Tuesday to go over final preparations and possible contingencies.

"The NYPD and our partners have been preparing for this the day after last year’s event," Chell said.

Police operations in connection with the 26.2-mile race will commence on Saturday evening and continue into Sunday with all uniformed cops in place early that morning. A heavy uniformed presence will be in place along every corner of the route, Chell noted.

"This year there will be no bikes, no bikes, along the route," the chief of patrol said.

After the briefing, NYPD spokesman Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard said the bicycle prohibition only applies to cyclists trying to operate on the actual race route. Bicycles will be allowed on side streets and nearby roadways, Sheppard said.

Chell reiterated the old phrase to guide the public if anything unusual is spotted: "If you see something, say something, grab a cop, call 911, let someone know."

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.