A man is loaded into an ambulance in Boston. (Getty Images)

As more details of the deadly explosions in Boston are released, the running community is slowly reacting to the shocking events.

Mary Wittenberg, the President and Chief Executive Officer of New York Road Runners, issued a statement lamenting the devastation and its impact on the running community in particular.

“All of our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families of the bombings at the Boston Marathon today, as well as with the runners, spectators, volunteers and staff of the Boston Athletic Association," she said.

"Marathons bring out the best of the human spirit and unite our cities and towns. This is a tragic day for all of us in the running community. We are here in full support of our close friends at the BAA."

An unnamed law enforcement source told the New York Post that the original target may have been the New York  City Marathon, with Boston being the hypothetical back-up plan.

“This changes everything [in New York],’’ the source speculated. “Everyone’s on high alert. Our marathon was canceled in November. Who knows if that changed someone’s plans?’

For her part, Ms. Wittenberg reiterated her own event's commitment to security.

"The safety and security of all New York Road Runners’ races is and will always be our top priority," she said. "We will continue to work hand in hand with the City of New York and the NYPD as we plan for upcoming events.”

But maybe they haven't been reading the letters over at the internet's largest petition site, Change.org.

Jeff Smith of Pratt University started a Change.org petition yesterday asking Bloomberg and Wittenberg to postpone the race. The letter already has 24,700 signatures. The petition itself is very nicely worded:

Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Mary Wittenberg, CEO of NYRR: Postpone the NYC Marathon until Spring 2013

Police, fire and other emergency services should not be diverted to the Marathon during this time of crisis. This event is always a positive event and it should not be turned into a hugely negative drain on city resources. The potential effects can be devastating. Please postpone this race until the Spring of 2013.

Petition Letter

Dear Mayor and Ms. Wittenberg - Please reconsider your decision to hold the ING NYC Marathon this year. New York City is not behind your decision. Please postpone the NYC Marathon until Spring 2013
Thank you.
[Your name]

The comment section--where supporters are encouraged to give their reason for signing--is not as civil. This is the second-most "liked" response on the whole petition, from a Luisa Lisciandrello in Brooklyn:

THIS IS AN EPIC FAIL FOR BLOOMBERG AND MARY WITTENBERG. HOW DARE YOU WASTE OUR RESOURCES ON THIS FRIVILOUS BULLSHIT WHEN PEOPLE ARE STILL DIGGING DEAD BODIES OUT OF THE MUD HERE? WHILE PEOPLE ARE STARVING AND DUMPSTER DIVING YOU DARE TO TRY AND CLOSE OUR ONLY CONDUITS FOR A RIDICULOUS RACE IN THE NAME OF MAKING A FEW BUCKS? THE SOULS OF EVERY DEAD NEW YORKER, CHILD THROUGH ELDERLY, IS ON YOUR HEAD AND YOU CONTINUE TO SLEEP GOOD AT NIGHT. THE PERSONIFICATION OF GREED AND EVIL. DO THE RIGHT AND ONLY THING AND POSTPONE THIS RACE AND SALVAGE SOME OF YOUR DECENCY.

Another petition, recently started by a man named Stephen Robert Morse, gave itself a little more space to draw some inevitable analogies:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg: Postpone the 2012 New York City Marathon!
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, there is devastation in and around New York City. There are approximately 40,000 hotel rooms that will be occupied by out-of-town marathon runners that could better be used by New Yorkers in need of shelter. A large part of New York City is still without power. People are lacking food and water and other necessities. It is a stark reality that critical New York City resources will have to be diverted to permit the marathon to be run.

In addition to the thousands of police officers who will have to stop traffic across the boroughs, it will be more difficult for emergency services to operate before, during, and after this race. Furthermore, crews hoping to restore power and water in affected areas will have to put their work on hold. In what rational world can we justify benefitting 40,000 individuals as millions suffer? Imagine if we put all of the runners to work, helping storm victims rebuild their lives.

In 1980, the United States boycotted the Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia, because we stood up for what we believed in. Would we have held a marathon less than a week after 9/11? Would we have held a marathon less than a week after Hurricane Katrina? Of course the answers to the above questions are no. New York will always be a tourist hub, yet it is unthinkable that there are millions of people without power, and thousands of businesses that are currently closed while a small number of people take part in a recreational activity.

Therefore, citizens must band together to postpone this marathon until New York has recovered from the devastating hurricane. We have LESS THAN 48 HOURS to make our cause known to the world!

So far, that one only has 350-plus signatures ... probably because most people signing their name to an electronic petition don't want it to be so long that they're actually forced to read the whole thing.

A marathon runs through it. (Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)

Mayor Bloomberg has gotten his fair share of criticism for deciding to go ahead with the annual New York City Marathon, given the devastation throughout the city following Hurricane Sandy, including not far from the starting line in Staten Island. But the mayor is sticking to his previous promise to have the race run, to send a message of New York's recovery and to help buoy an economy that has been battered by the storm.

"As Rudy Giuliani said to me this morning, he said, 'You know, right after 9/11 people said the same thing,'" Mayor Bloomberg said. Being Mike Bloomberg, he then launched into an economic defense for his decision. "New York has to show that we’re here, we are going to recover, and that while we help people we can still help companies that need the business, still generate the tax base so that we have the resources to help people. We can give people something to cheer about in what’s been a very dismal week for some people.”

More than excitement, the mayor seemed to stress this was a matter of hope. "I think Rudy had it right, you have to keep going, and doing things," Mayor Bloomberg said. "You can grieve, you can cry and you can laugh all at the same time. That’s what human beings are good at."

One of the biggest concerns seems to be diverting city resources away from the recovery effort, but Mayor Bloomberg insisted that would not happen.

"It does use some resources, but it doesn’t use resources that can really make a difference in recovery, that sort of thing,' the mayor said. "It’s a different group of people, it’s a relatively small amount of people, it’s the Sanitation Departments resources. And we have to have the city going forward. I don’t think there’s any question there are New Yorkers who have lost loved ones, we can’t replace that, people who have lost their homes, we have to do everything we can to make sure they recover, it’s hard for people to get through this thing, and I can assure you we are doing that. "

Were there any threat to the recovery efforts, the mayor insisted he would not allow the race to continue. "We have plenty of police officers who work in areas that aren’t effected, we don’t take all of them and move them into areas that are effected," the mayor said. "There will be no diversion of resources, there will be no redistribution of our efforts, no diminution of our efforts. We have a 24/7 operation going, which I’m confident we’re gonna do. We have to do everything we can to help people."

The mayor also pointed out that the New York Road Runners, the group that organizes the race, was doing its part, donating $1 million to the city's recovery fund, with an additional $1 million possible from runners, who are being asked to contribute $26.20, an homage to the 26.2-mile length of a typical marathon.

"As Mary Wittenberg, the head of the Road Runners club said, they’re running this race to help New York City, and the donations from all the runners and clubs are going to be a big relief to our relief efforts," the mayor said.

Runners must now carry belongings with them at all times. (Getty Images)

If you ever needed an excuse to tell friends and family why you won't be participating in the grueling 26.2-mile New York City Marathon this year, the organizers at New York Road Runners just gave you an easy out. The NYRR announced yesterday that they will no longer be shuttling the bags of its participants from the start line in Fort Wadsworth to the finish in Central Park.

Meaning that if you want your cell phone, key, change of clothing or any other amenities once you've just finished putting your body through an grueling and unnecessarily taxing endurance challenge, you'll have to carry them with you.

You would think the NYRR was doing this to save money--as the UPS trucks previously used to move the runners' bags came out of the organization's pockets--but you'd be wrong. They're just doing it because they feel like it and are sick of getting yelled at for not delivering bags in an orderly fashion.

So now you runners get nothing. See how you like them apples!

According to Buisnessweek, the UPS trucks will still be utilized and will transport the personal belongings of the marathoners ... but instead of taking the items to their owners, they'll be bringing them to a local charity.

When discussing the new change in policy, which includes 70 trucks and 300 volunteers (not to mention the 47,000 runners), NYRR claimed it was implementing the new plan because of "feedback" from former participants who complained "of post-race congestion and waiting time to exit Central Park." Also:

"UPS employees will continue to be key members of our team, including a partner of our clothing donation effort at the start.”

Instead of their bags, participants can now look forward to a complimentary poncho at the end of the November 4 race.

Look, we're all for charity, but runners have to wear literally as few clothes as possible. And while we're sure the homeless and needy will benefit from a nice windbreaker, they don't need your wallet, keys or cell phone, all of which runners bring to the race because hey, they are leaving their apartment and those items can be necessary to get back home again.

As for the argument that this initiative is being done because of complaints about the wait time when picking up your bag, well, that's like JetBlue claiming that you can't check any luggage on your flight because too many customers have been whining about how long it takes them to find their Briggs & Riley duffels on the carousel. (Look, if you know everyone else is going to bring a black suitcase with wheels too, maybe you should opt for a different color.)

If you don't want to bring a bag to the New York City Marathon, don't bring a bag. Just don't start punishing the people who do. As the online petition sponsored by Travelite reads, "Because who DOESN'T want a fresh pair of socks or some comfy clothes after running 26.2 miles through New York City with 45,000+ friends?!"