In 1981, I photographed the NYC Marathon from the top of the Verrazano Bridge. The night before the race, I had thrown a party at my studio, and a few of us were still awake as the sun rose. I’d always seen the finish of the marathon from Central Park, and I wanted to photograph the start. I grabbed a camera bag and a brick of Kodachrome 25 which is 20 rolls of 36 frames each, the equivalent of slightly more than an 8 gig card, and jumped in my car. As I approached the area of the starting line, the roads were closed, and I was forced to leave the car and proceed on foot. Shortly thereafter, I came across a police checkpoint, and with my cameras over my shoulder, I flashed my homemade press pass, and walked right through. This was pre 9/11 and things were very different. The streets were packed with runners, even though it was well before the starting gun. As I approached the bridge, I saw a line of photographers boarding a bus and I joined in, becoming the last one on. Shortly thereafter, an official came on board, and asked anyone who didn’t have clearance to be on the bridge, to please leave immediately. Nobody budged. We drove to the first tower and the bus stopped. Being the last on, I was the first off, and the first up the tiny elevator to the top. I immediately took a position at the edge and in the center, a place where I spent the next two fabulous hours. It was a cold and cloudy day, and windy on top of the bridge. But the view was incredible, with the city off in the distance and helicopters circling below us. When the gun sounded, a stream of humanity filled the bridge, and I created this image which became one of my most successful stock photographs for years to come.

The 1981 NYC Marathon