More than 100 bands, of all different genres, took the city streets yesterday to serve up sonic inspiration for marathon runners. There were reportedly up to 4 acts per mile, we passed by one of them in Brooklyn and thought it was a terrific idea -- it even made us pick up our pace a bit on our way to get a latte. The NY Times reports on how the idea has grown, turning the city streets into one large stage for a day:

“When we took the marathon to the streets in the mid-’70s, over the years local bands would just show up on the sidewalks, picking their own spots,” said Arnold Sitruk, the coordinating producer for the marathon. “They would play to cheer the runners on, and that steadily grew.”

These days the New York Road Runners Club is in charge of the music, receiving applications from bands and securing permits for them. One of those bands, the Bishop Loughlin High School’s marching band, has been at it for 30 years, each year playing the Rocky theme song over and over and over again. Did you hear any good bands yesterday? Check out this list with locations and band names for which ones you may have seen. Above is Will Hanza, more pics after the jump...