The Real Winners of the New York City Marathon Are These Insane People

By
Photo: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

For some, running 26.2 miles that nobody is forcing you to run is enough of a feat. You could be doing literally anything else in the world — including sitting, sleeping, or standing in place — and you've chosen to run until you've reached the precipice of death. That's impressive. But for others, running a plain old marathon just won't suffice. This special breed wants to run a marathon while also wearing something incredibly uncomfortable-looking and/or non-aerodynamic. Or, they want to run a marathon while simultaneously performing some other kind of incredible physical skill, such as juggling, or dribbling two basketballs.

It's these people who were the real winners of the New York City marathon yesterday. Well, not the real winners. The real winner was a 120-pound Kenyan guy. But these people were a close second. Well, not second. Second was a 110-pound Ethiopian guy. Actually, some of these people probably didn't even finish the race.

Elmo Guy:

Oscar the Grouch Dude:

Captain America Guy

Runners, including a man wearing a Captain America costume, react as they cross the finish line after completing the New York City marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) Photo: Kathy Willens/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.

Sgt. Pepper Man:

Hulk Hogan Guy:

Lady Liberty Lady:

Flintstones Dude:

Sombrero Guy:

Tuxedo Guy:

Pikachu Man:

Basketball-Dribbling Dude:

Banana Bro:

Jesus:

Juggling Man:

Blues Brothers Dudes:

These Guys in Costumes We Don't Recognize [Update: They're dressed as El Chapulín, a Mexican TV character. Thank you commenters.]:

Quetzalcoatl Man:

Other Quetzalcoatl Man:

Runners at the 2013 New York City Marathon on November 3, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Mireya Acierto/WireImage) Photo: Mireya Acierto/WireImage

Suit Dude:

A man in a suit runs up First Avenue November 3, 2013 during the running of the New York City Marathon in New York. Photo: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

Other Suit Dude:

A man wearing a business suit is one of the than 50,000 runners who competed in the New York City Marathon on Sunday, 3 November, 2013. -- More than 50,000 runners competed in the New York City Marathon on Sunday, 3 November, 2013. Kenya's Priscah Jeptoo won the women's race with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes, 7 seconds. Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai, 32, won the men's race in 2:08:24. Photo: Mati Milstein / Demotix

Unidentifiable-Nontraditional-Running-Outfit Guy:

Firefighter Guys:

Almost-Naked Man:

New York, United States. 3rd November 2013 -- People take part during the ING New York City Marathon in New York. Kena Betancur / VIEWpress. -- NYC Marathon is an annual marathon (42.195 km or 26.219 mi) that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010. Photo: VIEWpress Corp. / Demotix