NEW YORK, NY October 30, 2009 —The world-famous New York City Marathon is this weekend. It is the 40th anniversary of the race, and more than 100,000 runners applied to run, but only 40,000 made the cut. Those racers will be at the starting line on Staten Island Sunday morning.

Richard Finn is a spokesman for New York Road Runners, the foundation that organizes the event, and says it's more than just a marathon. "It's a road race, it's a spectacle, it's a carnival, it's a parade, and it's all rolled into one thing," Finn says.

About 2.5 million spectators are expected to cheer the racers in the five boroughs, and about 100 bands will play along the route.

Even though it will be the day after Halloween, plenty of runners and spectators are expected to show up in costume.