New York Marathon cancelled

The New York City Marathon, scheduled to take place this Sunday, has officially been cancelled.

"We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as he made the announcement on Friday afternoon.

Bloomberg had originally stressed that the race would go on as planned, but the decision to hold the annual event while the city and surrounding areas still face the devastation of Hurricane Sandy was largely criticized.