Last weekend, we walked around Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, on the homestretch of the New York City Marathon, to look at the signs local school kids had hung up to cheer tired runners on to the finish line. (Last year, we documented a whole slew of them.)

The most astonishing sign read: Every mile is a gift!  An amazing concept for a kid to be aware of.

A little farther on, we saw two people in wheelchairs watching as the tide of runners came towards them. They were there to show their support for what is a massive physical and symbolic effort: proof of the human spirit and ability, defiance of fear and terrorism.

One runner with a prosthetic leg was being flanked by friends there to support him and make sure he didn’t fall.

Twenty-six miles is no mean feat…We wondered who the very last, valiant runner was and wished we could stay around to cheer him/her for continuing on to the very end.

“Every mile is a gift!”

Every mile, every step, every breath, every moment.