This Sunday is supposed to be the annual ING NYC Marathon but with Hurricane Sandy ripping through the city most of us assumed it wasn't actually going to happen. And New York Road Runners, which organized it, certainly didn't seem optimistic this morning. Massive natural disaster and all. But that was then. According to the Daily News the race is actually still on. This is going to be interesting!

"The city of New York and the Road Runners are committed to making sure that the marathon will occur on Sunday," race medical director Dr. Stuart Weiss told the Daily News today. He went on to explain that organizers are still making decisions on race modifications in the wake of the storm but that "After 9/11 the marathon was part of the healing effort and we think this will be healing too. This will showcase that we as a city and a region can pull ourselves back up and help each other after a severe storm."

Which is all well and good—nothing like running so hard you poop yourself to distract from natural disasters—except we're a little confused about who they think will be running assuming Manhattan even has power. Many of the races participants come in from all over the world—and it isn't like our airports are in the best of shape right now! We've reached out to the NYRR but have yet to hear back.

Update: Well, now it looks like the New York Road Runners aren't so sure after all. According to Metropolis, "Thirteen minutes later the organization retracted the statement. Ninety minutes later, NYRR CEO Mary Wittenberg issued a statement to media that did not guarantee the race would happen:"

"The City is rightfully focused on assessment, restoration and recovery,” she said. “At NYRR, we stand with our City agency partners and support their efforts.

“The Marathon has always been a special day for New Yorkers as a symbol of the vitality and resiliency of this City. NYRR continues to move ahead with its planning and preparation. We will keep all options open with regard to making any accommodations and adjustments necessary to race day and race weekend events.

“We will provide an update and more detail as information becomes available.”

One reason why the NYRR wants the race to go on: Because many professional racers "derive a significant portion of their income from running this race."

Update 6:05 p.m.: Um, Mayor Bloomberg just said during a press conference that the marathon will go on. So GET ON IT, CON ED!