NEW YORK — A field of more than 40,000 is expected to participate in the 40th running of the ING New York City Marathon.

New York Road Runners announced the largest field ever on Wednesday. For the second consecutive year, the marathon has attracted more than 100,000 applicants for the five-borough race on Nov. 1.
Marathon rookie Jeff Mead of New York, and Anette Hagen of Virginia Beach, Va., were the first two names selected in the U.S. lottery.
Race director Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners, says “breaking the 100,000-applicant mark again, in the midst of a recession, speaks volumes” to the importance of running in people’s lives.
The lottery was one of several events celebrating National Running Day.