The world's largest marathon has come to a dead stop.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has canceled the New York City Marathon, which was to have been run on Sunday.

Bloomberg's reversal came after mounting criticism from New Yorkers who said it made more sense to use resources to help victims of Superstorm Sandy. They were particularly annoyed that the race would have required the use of police officers, bottled water, generators and snacks -- the same needed by residents. Some storm victims were also being evicted from hotels to make way for runners from around the world.

Around 47,500 runners from around the globe had been expected to take part in the 26.2-mile event. It was scheduled to start in Staten Island, one of the storm's hardest-hit places.

Bloomberg had contended that the race was needed to get the city ``back on track'' and could have been handled without diverting resources. He said in a statement that he couldn't allow a controversy over an athletic event to impede the recovery effort.