The New York City marathon will not take place this Sunday, November 4, the mayor's office announced early Friday evening.

With parts of the city still without power, families displaced and the transportation system in limbo due to Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Michael Bloomberg reversed his position from earlier today, when he said the event would go on as planned.

Incensed over the possibility of the marathon still taking place, people like social worker Penny Kakoff believed that citizens and runners should be focused on relief efforts rather than winning a race.

"I cannot start a 26.2 mile run in Staten Island-people are missing, stranded, in need of resources. Brooklyn and Queens have equal devastation," she told Gothamist. "Parts of Manhattan are without electricity, water, major hospitals are closed. The Bronx too has its own challenges....let's not waste resources and attention on a foot race. Who is with me?"

It was initially the position of the mayor not to cancel because he maintained that while the marathon would use some resources, it wouldn't use "resources that could really make a difference in recovery."

"It's a great event for New York and for those who were lost, you have to believe they would want the economy and city to go forward for those left behind," Bloomberg said Wednesday.

Finally conceding the point, the mayor's office tweeted about the cancellation this evening:

"We have decided to cancel the NYC marathon. The New York Road Runners will have additional information in days ahead for participants."

Many displaced New Yorkers sought refuge in local hotels, which created havoc for hotel managers who had rooms reserved for runners this weekend.

"We have three groups coming in today, including one from Amsterdam," said Ed Maynard, general manager of the 774-room Westin Grand Central hotel, which has electricity."Before Sandy, we were already sold out with marathon groups," he told me. "Now we're trying to confirm with those groups if their flights are still scheduled to arrive. It looks like it is still a go."

Marathon runners didn't automatically get priority "because we're trying to accommodate all arrivals based on anticipated departures. We're also not taking any new external bookings until we can accommodate everyone who's booked previously."

The owner of a Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Staten Island refused to kick out his current guests, who lost their homes to superstorm Sandy, to runners arriving for Sunday's New York City Marathon.

Hotel owner Richard Nicotra told Hotel Check-In Friday afternoon that local residents are relying on his hotel while they remain homeless due to the storm and that he won't let them down. 

Both Nicotra and his wife are second-generation Staten Island residents. Local cable channel NY1 first reported the story on Thursday.

"We opened up the doors to our hotels on Saturday and Sunday for people, and everybody anticipated being here for Monday night when the storm happened," Nicotra says. "They were hoping to go back to their houses. Tuesday was supposed to be a little better and Wednesday was supposed to be fine, but by Wednesday, we started to realize it was worse than we thought."

The hotel initially told the evacuees they would have to leave by Thursday morning. But on Thursday morning, Nicotra's guests were in tears at the thought of checking out, he says.

"On Thursday morning, people were begging me and crying saying, 'You can't throw me out. I have no place to go,'" he says.

To honor the contracts he had with the marathon runners, Nicotra said he gave the group other options, including setting up a temporary dormitory in the hotel's 10,000-square-foot ballroom, which can house up to 500 people with cots.

"As Hilton says, hospitality is what we're all about. If we can make everyone happy we will, but if we can't, the choice is easy," Nicotra says. "We need to take care of our neighbors."

The city-wide event traditionally attracts about 50,000 runners, including many from out of town who travel with friends or relatives, stay in hotels and spend money on restaurants. The event, sponsored by New York Road Runners and ING, rakes in $350 million annually.