The 2015 TCS New York City Marathon will air live in New York on WABC-TV, ABC7 and for the rest of the nation on ESPN2 on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 9 a.m. ET. The 45th running of the race will also be available to fans in the New York area on WatchABC and beyond the city on WatchESPN. Additionally, ESPN Deportes+, which is accessible via ESPNdeportes.com, will carry the race in Spanish.
ESPN SportsCenter anchors John Anderson and Hannah Storm co-host race day coverage, with Anderson providing commentary from the booth and Storm at the start and finish lines. They will be joined by ABC7 sports anchors Rob Powers and Laura Behnke, reporter Lewis Johnson and analysts Tim Hutchings and Carrie Tollefson. John Del Giorno (helicopter), Paula Radcliffe (lead women’s reporter), Toni Reavis (lead men’s reporter), David Willey (on-course reporter) and ABC7 reporters Anthony Johnson, Kemberly Richardson and Michelle Charlesworth will also provide updates throughout the race.
Production Highlights:
- Cameras: Thirty-eight cameras provide coverage of the race.
- New production elements: Spike Lee (TCS New York City Marathon Grand Marshall) directing and appearing in show open, Aloe Blacc new music video footage used throughout the broadcast, social media integration in the broadcast via ticker, and Data Visualization Powered by TCS—a high-end graphic comparison of running times over the years.
- Meb Keflezighi: One of the All-time Greats Feature:Where does Meb Keflezighi stand among the all-time marathon greats? He’s the only American to win the New York City Marathon, the Boston Marathon, and an Olympic medal. Even at 40 years old he is still a factor in many of the Abbott World Marathon Majors races.
- Wilson Kipsang: Subway Chat Feature: The defending men’s champion Wilson Kipsang takes a ride in a TCS New York City Marathon wrapped NYC subway car. He talks about everything from this year’s TCS New York City Marathon, his family, entrepreneurship and the NY Knicks.
- ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 Short “Every Day:” This short film tells the story of Joy Johnson, an inspiring athlete with an uncommon passion for running, and for life.
- Sport Science Feature: The effects of long distance running on the body, sponsored by ASICS.
- Sport Science Feature: Tatyana McFadden: Looks at the science behind Tatyana McFadden rise to the world’s greatest female professional wheelchair athlete.
- Alana Hadley Feature: 18-year-old Alana Hadley will be running the TCS New York City Marathon as an elite. At 16, she was the youngest person to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials since 1984. This piece follows her life as a freshman at UNC Charlotte attending class and training for the TCS New York City Marathon.
- Susanna Phillips Feature: World renowned opera singer for the Metropolitan Opera who will be singing the national anthem at the start of the TCS New York City Marathon before running the 26.2-mile race for the first time.
TCS New York City Marathon Coverage on ABC7 Platforms
- TCS New York City Marathon Opening Ceremony Presented by United Airlines: ABC7 kicks off race weekend with live coverage of the TCS New York City Marathon Opening Ceremony Presented by United Airlines on Friday, Oct. 31, at 5:30 p.m. Eyewitness News anchor Dave Novarro and meteorologist Amy Freeze host the festivities from the finish line in Central Park. In addition to ABC7, the program will be available on abc7ny.com and WatchABC.
- Countdown to the Starting Line: Tens of thousands of runners fuel up for race day and ABC7 is there to capture the party Saturday, Oct. 31. Eyewitness News anchors Liz Cho and David Novarro and Shirleen Allicot preview the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon live from the TCA New York City Marathon Eve Dinner. The program will be carried on ABC7, abc7ny.com, WatchABC and ESPN3.
- Eyewitness News Marathon Sunday:Eyewitness News sports anchors Rob Powers and Laura Behnke take viewers live throughout the five boroughs as New York gets ready to host its biggest sporting event, Sunday, Nov. 1, from 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Meteorologist Lee Goldberg has the race day weather forecast and Amy Freeze will be among the 50,000 runners as they, and she, get ready to run 26.2 miles. The program will be carried on ABC7, abc7ny.com, WatchABC and ESPN3.
- TCS New York City Marathon Continuing Coverage: After the professional race is over, ABC7 continues coverage of the race. Hannah Storm and Rob Powers host as we continue to tell the emotional stories of why people decided to run.
TCS New York City Marathon Coverage on ESPN Platforms
- ESPN Radio: ESPN NY 98.7FM will provide pre-race coverage and in-race updates. The station will utilize the resources of ESPN to present highlights and previews leading up to the race and on race day. In addition, 98.7FM will host a special show from the finish line on Sunday, Nov. 1, from 7 – 9 a.m.
- com: ESPN.com, Competitor Group and Runner’s World combine to present digital offerings leading up to, during and after the TCS New York City Marathon. Pre-race features include stories on debut American marathoner Laura Thweatt, 2009 New York City Marathon winner and potential 2016 Olympian Meb Keflezighi, defending Boston Marathon women’s champion Caroline Rotich of Kenya, Japan’s prolific “citizen runner” Yuki Kawauchi, and a photo essay featuring local runners who have overcome obstacles to make it to this year’s race. The @ESPN_EnduranceTwitter page will provide updates and photos throughout the competition and recaps, analysis and reflections will be available following the race.
- WatchESPN and WatchABC: Live coverage of the TCS New York City Marathon will be available nationwide on WatchESPN via computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices for fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider (blackouts apply in the New York market). Fans located in any of the five boroughs can follow the action on WatchABC.
- ESPN3: ESPN3 will carry pre-race (7-9 a.m.) and post-race coverage (12:30-2 p.m.). In addition, ESPN3 will have an isolated camera feed of the finish line called 2015 TCS New York City Marathon: Finish Line Cam (9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.), which allows fans to see each runner complete the race in Central Park. This feed will also be available on replay so participants can watch themselves cross the finish line. Blackouts apply in the New York market.
- Team V: ESPN and The V Foundation are once again joining forces with New York Road Runners to fight cancer at the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon. One hundred members of “Team V” — which includes ESPN employees — will run the race and raise money for cancer research. Last year, Team V racers raised over $100,000 for The V Foundation.
2015 TCS New York City Marathon Schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Show | Network(s) |
| Sat, Oct. 31 | 7:30 p.m.-8 p.m. | Countdown to the Starting Line | ESPN3, ABC7, WatchABC, abc7ny.com |
| Sun, Nov. 1 | 7-9 a.m. | Pre-Race Coverage | ESPN3, ABC7, WatchABC, abc7ny.com |
| 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | TCS New York City Marathon | ESPN2, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes+, ABC7, WatchABC, abc7ny.com | |
| 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. | Finish Line Coverage | ESPN3, abc7ny.com | |
| 12:30-2 p.m. | TCS New York City Marathon and Post-Race Coverage | ESPN3, ABC7, WatchABC, abc7ny.com | |
| 4-6 p.m. | TCS New York City Marathon Compilation Show | ABC, WatchABC |
The TCS New York City Marathon telecast is produced by IMG.
About ABC7
ABC7 (WABC-TV) is The Walt Disney Company owned television station serving the 7.4 million homes of the New York media market and is the most watched television station in the United States.
About the TCS New York City Marathon
The TCS New York City Marathon is the most popular and inclusive marathon in the world, attracting the world’s top professional athletes and a vast range of recreational runners. The race began in 1970 with just 127 entrants racing four laps of Central Park. Today, an estimated 50,000 runners from around the world tour New York City’s five boroughs, starting on Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and finishing in Central Park. Participants include Olympians, Paralympians, wheelchair racers, top age-group competitors, and many thousands who run for charity and to achieve their own personal goals. Millions of fans cheer the runners from the streets and watch the global television broadcast. The race is part of the World Marathon Majors, an alliance of the world’s six biggest marathons that determines each year’s top male and top female marathoner. The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners, the world’s foremost community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. Tata Consultancy Services, a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, is the Premier Partner of NYRR and is in its second year as title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon.
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion and media operating in more than 25 countries around the world. IMG’s businesses include Events & Media, College, Golf, Tennis, Performance and IMG Academy, Fashion, Models, Clients, Consulting, Licensing, Joint Ventures, and creative management agency Art + Commerce. In 2014, IMG was acquired by WME, the world’s leading entertainment and media agency. Together, the companies offer an unparalleled client roster; strategic partnerships with sponsors and brands; and marquee assets across sports, entertainment, events, music and fashion.
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