They also promised not to deflect news media attention from the wheelchair racers and to let them cross the finish line like everyone else. William A. Brewer, the lead lawyer for the disabled athletes, says that the suit has not been settled and that even if the race organizers live up to their promises, the stipulations do not resolve the heart of the dispute. The athletes maintain that the marathon's organizers not only have a history of bias against wheelchair competitors but have also lagged behind a recent trend in the sport by refusing to create a separate division with prizes for wheelchair racers. Although marathon officials admit they have resisted creating a separate division, they insist that they have not discriminated against wheelchair athletes. They say that the police and other city officials have decided to hold up the wheelchair athletes for their own safety.
Some marathon runners say their safety is sometimes at stake, too.
Robert L. Laufer, the Road Runners Club's general counsel, said the wheelchair athletes' complaints arise from logistical problems unique to New York's marathon, an open event with more than 30,000 participants who cross several bridges and major streets in all five boroughs. More than 140 athletes in wheelchairs are expected to compete Sunday. We do try to accommodate them. As in most city marathons, the wheelchair athletes start the race half an hour before the first phalanx of elite runners sets off. Unlike in the Boston Marathon and some other events, there is no minimum qualifying time for entrants in New York.