The woman was briefly furious, but her face softened once she saw the tether connecting the men by the waist. Francesco Magisano, the man who had run into her, is blind, and his guide Nev Schulman nervously apologized for the accident. The men were running together for the first time in preparation for the New York City Marathon on Sunday. Marathons are physically and emotionally challenging, but the New York City Marathon has a unique set of difficulties for blind runners and their guides. The sheer number of screaming spectators and runners — race officials are expecting approximately 50,000 finishers this year — make it difficult for guides to steer blind runners along the tightly packed 26.2-mile course.

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Persons: Francesco Magisano, Nev Schulman, Magisano Organizations: New York City Marathon, New York City Locations: Central Park