New York City Marathon Joao Silva- New York Times photographer Joao Silva, who lost both his legs on the job, finishes the 42nd ING New York City Marathon in Central Park on November 6, 2011 in New York City. Silva, who raced in the handcycling division, did the marathon in less than three hours.
While on the other side, the past record which lasts from a decade, was smashed by Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai. He set a course record in the ING New York Marathon on Sunday, cutting nearly three minutes from a previous best time set by Ethiopia's Tesfaye Jifar in 2001.
Some 47,107 participated runners started the race, out of which 200 in wheelchair and hand cycle divisions, through the five boroughs on a cold but sunny day in the city with little wind. Around two million supporters lined the streets as runners started at around nine this morning - from Fort Wadsworth through the heart of the city to end up in Central Park.
Joao Silva lost both his legs when he stepped on a mine in Afghanistan last October. He chronicled the experience, which also destroyed his urethra, and his recovery at Walter Reed in a recent piece for the Times.
