The pair of 88 year olds are the oldest participants in the field of 27,000 that will tackle the 26.2-mile course that wends its way through all five of the city's boroughs.

Gadless, who ran his first marathon here in 1992, finished last year with a time of six hours, 30 minutes.

Lindgren will not be shooting to lower last year's time.

"I don't remember,'' she said Friday when asked how long it took her to finish.

Lindgren, however, remembers well her early years in marathoning.

"When I was young, when I was 72, I ran a (seniors) world record of 4:34:08," said Lindgren, who ran her first marathon at age 70.

Gadless took up running when he moved from California to Boca Raton, Fla. "It's the best medicine, it keeps me young."

Lindgren, who is from Orleans, Calif., was asked what advice she would give the younger runners.

"You've got to have good shoes, real comfortable shoes," she said.

This story by Reuters