New York marathon cancelled by Bloomberg as Sandy fallout continues It is believed to be the first time since the race's inception in 1970 that it has been cancelled. It went ahead in 2001 just two months after the September 11 terror attacks. The decision was cheered by New Yorkers who organized a social media campaign accusing the authorities of being out of touch. However, it brought disappointment to the thousands of runners entered, many of whom had travelled from other countries to take part. Announcing the decision, Mr Bloomberg insisted that holding the race "would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort." However, he added: "It is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division." He continued: "We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event - even one as meaningful as this - to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track." Previously Mr Bloomberg's insistence that the race went ahead was described as "idiotic" by one local politician. Staten Island Councilman James Oddo made the remark on his Facebook page and then told the New York Daily News: "The notion of diverting even one police officer, one first responder, one asset away from this carnage is beyond irrational." Andrew Cuomo, the Governor of New York state, said he would suspend requirements on tankers docking in the New York Harbour, which had just reopened to oil vessels. One ship carrying two million gallons of gasoline had docked overnight in Newburgh, 60 miles north of New York City. However the clean-up may be compounded by threats of a new storm that could hit the east coast of the US next week, just after the country goes to the polls in the presidential election on Tuesday.