It's the city's greatest sporting event, but it does leave some people unhappy. Mainly storeowners on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, it seems, who have had to smell the pee stench from the many runners who urinated in alleys. The Daily News takes the medical approach, finding out that "[t]raditionally, bladders tend to break down at mile seven"; the NY Road Runners' Club apologized, explaining the logistical difficulties of thousands of runners and only so many portapotties on top of trying to get good times, but added, "In 26.2 miles, your body goes through a lot of phases, and sometimes nature calls."

The Daily News also links to chubsucker's Fourth Avenue alley peeing pictures (one is on the left), which are brilliant and make us wonder if the tires are reserved for women and doing number two.
Gothamist on finding a bathroom, how you can get a need to pee card, and the city's street furniture deal that includes public toilets.

Top photograph of runners on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn from Tien Mao; photograph at left from chubsucker