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Watch NYers Struggle To Cross The Street During The NYC Marathon

John Del Signore

Published Nov 9, 2018

Modified Nov 9, 2018

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Courtesy Jeff Seal

John Del Signore

Published Nov 9, 2018

Modified Nov 9, 2018

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The New York City marathon is an uplifting affirmation of the human spirit triumphing over physical limitations. It's a glorious celebration of people from all over the planet coming together in a spirit of unity and cooperation. It's also a real pain in the neck if for some reason you really need to cross a major street in your neighborhood at the height of the race.

Filmmaker Jeff Seal is fascinated by the extreme contortions pedestrians go through in order to dart across the street during the marathon, and with his collaborators the Libbey Brothers, they set out to document the situation during the 2018 marathon last Sunday.

"I love watching the NYC Marathon—I watch it every year," Seal tells us. "I find it genuinely heart-warming to see New Yorkers come out to cheer on their friends and also complete strangers from all over the world. I love it when like, an Italian spectator sees an Italian runner and then they have a quick exchange in Italian really quickly. I literally get choked up when I see that.

"But I also always find it so funny watching everyone just try cross the street. You couldn't choreograph a more perfect physical comedy routine. They have a very specific and clear objective: to cross the street and not get hit by a runner.

"Last year I watched people trying to cross the street at the Bedford Avenue L stop for like an hour and was cracking up the whole time. I ended up filming this on my cellphone. So this year I went with my friends the Libbey Brothers to film people trying to cross the street. We knew it would be prime spot because people have to cross the street to get on and off the subway which only has entrances on one side of Bedford. I was surprised the L train was actually working, to be honest."

Asked if he has any advice for pedestrians struggling to cross the street during the marathon (Welcome to Gothamist everyone who Googled "How To Cross Street During Marathon?"!), Seal says, "I think the best technique is to jog 'downstream' with the flow of the runners and slowly make your way to other side. That's a little harder though for older people and those who are holding bikes, strollers and large boxes. In any case, this is our ode to the unsung athletic heroes of the NYC Marathon."

Seal, who you might know from such popular Gothamist videos as "They Dove Into A Dumpster And Resurfaced In Love" and "Watch This Self-Proclaimed Idiot Hop Freight Trains To Montauk," has begged Gothamist to publish this "End Note": "To the commentators who might hate on me: I went across on stilts with a tray full of drinks when the race was pretty much done. It would have been funnier if the race was still going but by the time I went home to get my stilts it was too late. Also, I don't read the comments, I swear."

Editor's Note: Jeff Seal is a national and municipal treasure, you monsters.

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jeff seal

marathon

nyc marathon

John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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