New York City is known for its fashion, food and skyline, but which activity draws celebrities like Puff Daddy out into the streets?

When Oprah Winfrey ran the Marine Corp Marathon in 1994, she not only inspired thousands of people to lose weight and raise millions of dollars for charity. Though she didn't realize it at the time, she was inspiring Puff Daddy, who years later publicly challenged her winning time of 4:29:20 - and beat it running in the New York City Marathon. Oh yeah, he also raised a little more than $2 million for charity. This public challenge let everyone see that these two celebs weren't so different after all. It also flashed a spotlight on the New York City Marathon, which has been growing in popularity ever since its origins in 1970 due to a great course and wonderful charities.

Here is a quick description of the New York City Marathon:

The New York City Marathon takes you through five key boroughs (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan) giving each runner a view of what makes this city great: diversity. You will see a variety of people, buildings and sideline events. Where's the finish line? At Tavern on the Green in the world-famous Central Park.

The New York City Marathon allows its runners to sponsor a lot of great charities including The New York Road Runner Foundation Team for Kids (children funds), The New York Road Runners Champion's Circle (athletic funds), Fred's Team (cancer fund) and Charity Partners (your charity of choice). All of these charities give participants and spectators a chance to open their hearts in a big way and promote great causes.

So, are you ready to take a run on the wild side? If so, get more details at www.nycmarathon.org.