Thousands to run NYC Marathon Sunday

The New York City Marathon kicks off Sunday with 57,000-plus entrants, including gutsy Chilean miner Edison Peña, who trained while trapped underground with his co-workers. Peña will have plenty of company from his homeland, with 262 marathon entrants from Chile.

For seasoned race runners and watchers, the big change this year is the start time. Instead of 9 a.m., the marathon will begin in waves: Professional female runners will begin crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at 9:10 a.m., and the bulk of runners will start in groups spaced at half-hour intervals - 9:40 a.m., 10:10 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. Wheelchair and handcycle entrants will start out before 9.

The marathon has 57,903 entrants - 36,292 men and 21,611 women. Not everyone will finish, but the New York Road Runners Club expects a record 45,000 runners will make it through the 26.2-mile course to the finish line in Central Park, topping last year's record of 43,660 finishers.

Oldest runners. The oldest male runner is 90 and the oldest woman is 83.

International participation. There are nearly 20,000 runners from other countries, with 3,780 Italians in the largest of those contingents.

Course record. Tesfaye Jifar of Ethiopia set the men's course record of 2:07:41 in 2001. Margaret Okayo of Kenya set the women's course record of 2:22:31 in 2006.

Onlookers. Spectators will number about 2.5 million, spread along a route through all five boroughs. Race organizers expect a worldwide audience of 330 million to watch the event.

SEE PHOTOSNYC Marathon 2009

TV. The marathon will be broadcast live locally for five hours beginning at 9 a.m. on WNBC/4.

Key spectator viewing areas. Brooklyn: Fourth Avenue from 92nd Street to Atlantic Avenue. Queens: Vernon Boulevard from 48th Avenue to 44th Drive; Queensboro Plaza; Queens Boulevard to the Queensboro Bridge. Manhattan: First Avenue from 59th Street to 120th Street; Fifth Avenue from 138th Street to 86th Street; Central Park South, from Fifth Avenue to Broadway; Central Park East Drive; Central Park West Drive.

Limited LIRR service. LIRR service in and out of Penn Station is very limited, with only about three trains an hour, and most branches will have service disruptions because of switching and signal work at Jamaica Station. The LIRR advises marathoners or those attending the race to use the Babylon, Long Beach and Port Washington branches for direct service to Penn. In addition, various runners' groups are offering charter bus service from the Island to the marathon. Check with your local group.

Advice on getting there. Marathon-watchers are strongly advised to take the subway or bus. Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn is accessible by the N, R and M lines. The closest subway lines to First Avenue in Manhattan are the Lexington Avenue 4, 5 and 6 lines. Fifth Avenue is close to the Lexington Avenue lines as well as the B, D, F and Q trains. No buses will be allowed to cross Fifth Avenue during the race.

Street closings. The marathon brings rolling street closings, some beginning at 7 a.m. and others continuing as late as 7 p.m. Here are anticipated closures at some major crossings and streets:

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge: The upper level is scheduled to have rolling closures at midnight Saturday and reopen by 3 p.m. Sunday. The lower level will have rolling closures on both the Brooklyn and Staten Island sides from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Queensboro Bridge: The lower level on the Queens and Manhattan sides will have rolling closures from 7 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m.

Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn: Rolling closures, 7:15 a.m. to 1:20 p.m.

Fifth Avenue, Manhattan: Rolling closures, 9 a.m. to 5:20 p.m.

Central Park East and Central Park West drives: Closed all day.

Central Park South: Rolling closures, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sources: New York City Department of Transportation, ING New York City Marathon / New York Road Runners Club, Long Island Rail Road