It’s election week (or, more accurately, the end of election month), and my day job involves a regular deep-dive into politics, so it’s safe to say that once again most sporting events have whizzed by my memory banks.

I have paid enough attention to know that:

>> The Houston Astros are on the verge of continuing their dynasty;

>> Tom Brady is single and surprisingly human this season;

>> College basketball is upon us, and soon all will be right in the world;

>> The NBA’s been playing too, when it hasn’t been fighting controversy.

However, in the past few days the thing that excited me the most was the running of the New York City Marathon. If you’re looking for inspiration, for a feat of human strength and endurance — qualities that also come in handy during these tumultuous political times — long-distance running is definitely near the top of the list.

The New York City Marathon, which took place Sunday, is one of the six worldwide — alongside Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London and Tokyo — that have been deemed “major” by the Abbott World Marathon Majors organization. It’s the last major marathon of the calendar year, and this past weekend about 50,000 people from all over the world tackled the 26.2-mile route through the city’s five boroughs.

The great thing about marathons, especially very large ones, is all the stories that provide the colorful and diverse backdrop for the day.

One of my favorite post-race reads involves the results of the wheelchair division, if the marathon has one. (Most of the big ones do.) If you think the winning runners are fast, imagine athletes with bodies of steel powering three sleek wheels through the course.

These amazing racers can speed over a route, whether it’s flat, hilly or winding, in about half the time it takes for the marathon’s absolute best runners to break the finish-line tape.

Sunday’s men’s wheelchair champion, Marcel Hug of Switzerland, blazed to the finish line in 1:25:26. The second-place athlete, Daniel Romanchuk, followed just 2 minutes later in 1:27:38. Both men bested the course record set in 2006.

(For reference, the men’s running champion was Evans Chebet of Kenya, who finished in 2:08:41.)

More compelling than Romanchuk’s finish, though, was how he maneuvered through New York CIty and especially its subway system — captured in a fine New York Times profile about the 24-year-old’s time on the East Coast. Even in 2022 it’s not easy for a wheelchair user to navigate public transit; while Romanchuk, who lives and trains in Illinois, seemed to go with the flow, I found myself frustrated by his ordeal.

Another inspiring storyline generated by the New York City Marathon was the embrace of nonbinary-gender runners, a category that’s come up in recent years in similar large-scale events.

The marathon’s nonbinary category debuted last year and this year offered money for the first time — $5,000 to first-place runner Jacob Caswell. Finishers from second through fifth place also received cash payouts.

It’s heartening to see that these types of events are recognizing and celebrating people of all stripes. For the athletes, too, it must be wild in the best way to be able to compete alongside their peers.

Catching up on the New York City Marathon has me excited for the Honolulu Marathon. It’s the event’s 50th anniversary, and in just over a month thousands of runners will line up in Waikiki to tackle Oahu’s own 26.2-mile course.

I’ve completed numerous half-marathons and two full marathons, and while my feet probably couldn’t handle the distance anymore I’ll always have a soft spot for the intense physical challenge. Reading about other runners and their journeys is more my speed these days.