Had things gone according to plan, yesterday November 4th, would have been the 42nd consecutive year of the New York Marathon, an event so popular that participants get selected by lottery. But thanks to Frankenstorm Sandy, things were not quite normal and after an intense debate, Mayor Bloomberg finally decided to give into the general consensus that the event be canceled.

Not surprisingly, this left a lot of runners many of whom have been training for the entire year and had flown in from all over the world, a little disappointed. However, not for long. Thanks to a brilliant idea by 46-year old Jordan Metzi, they not only ran, but did it for an even better cause - To distribute much needed food and supplies to the flood-stricken area of Staten Island, which as it happens, is also the starting point of the world-famous marathon.

Jordan, who would have been running his 30th marathon, said that his initial reaction to the news that the marathon had been canceled was one of sheer disappointment - But that was short-lived, and he soon began to think how he could help. So two days ago, he announced - 'New York Runners in Support of Staten Island' on Facebook. When he woke up the next morning there were 3,000 hits on the page and the numbers kept growing.

On Sunday November 4th, the first batch of 500 runners dressed in orange and carrying backpacks filled with essentials like batteries, prepaid mobile phones, medicine, hats, gloves and even gift cards, all purchased with their own funds, hopped on to the 8.30 ferry from New York to Staten Island to begin their 15-mile run to a distribution center in Midland Beach, where they emptied their backpacks and then began their next task - Helping residents clean up flooded homes. Once their 'run' was done, another 500 who had been patiently waiting, repeated the same endeavor.

As Jordan put it, while the 15-mile run was a lot shorter than the 26.2 mile marathon he had been training for all year, it was a lot more challenging given the load inside his backpack and more importantly, much more fulfilling given the welcome and gratitude they received from the people of Staten Island! These were not the only runners doing good - Other marathoners did their stint at Central Park to raise money for the victims too.

So while history books may say that the New York Marathon was canceled for the first time in 42-years, we believe that the 2012 'run' will be the only one that will forever etched onto the minds of both runners and the numerous lives they were able to touch! What do you think? Be sure to let us know by adding your comments below.

Resources: news.yahoo.com, dailykos.com, businessweek.com