There are several ways to get one of the nearly 60,000 spots in the marathon. Here’s a list of the options. By Jennie Coughlin You’ve watched the New York City Marathon runners. Maybe you know some.

What’s almost as good as going running? Reading about running. From best-selling books about huarache-wearing ultrarunners to hymns to the fells, via inspiring memoirs and insightful training manuals, ...