FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TCS New York City Marathon: Team Inspire to Feature 26 of the Most
Compelling Runner Stories on Sunday, November 5
New York, October 19, 2023 - New York Road Runners (NYRR) has announced
this year's members of Team Inspire, a group of 26 runners participating in
the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon with some of the most compelling
reasons for their runs. This group represents the diversity, width, and
breadth of the 50,000-runner field that will trek through the five boroughs
on Sunday, November 5.
With runners from all 50 states and 153 different countries, the TCS New
York City Marathon is the biggest and boldest marathon in the world. Team
Inspire consists of runners tackling 26.2 miles for the first time,
streakers who have yet to miss a first Sunday in November, charity runners
putting purpose behind their miles, and participants who have overcome
challenges with the help of running.
Team Inspire members for the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon include:
- Aubrey Barr of Duxbury, Mass. - Diagnosed with a rare cancer as a child
and given six months to live, Aubrey has overcome great odds and has since
completed more than 25 TCS New York City Marathons with Fred's Team: she
has raised over $500,000 for the charity cumulatively.
- Adrienne Bunn of Ocala, Fla. - A high school senior who this month became
the youngest autistic woman ever to complete an Ironman endurance event
with her finish in Kona, Hawaii, she will be running her first TCS New York
City Marathon on behalf of KultureCity, the nation's leading nonprofit on
sensory accessibility and acceptance for those with invisible disabilities.
- Cal Calamia of San Francisco - A prominent running activist and pioneer
for the trans and non-binary community, Cal is running their first TCS New
York City Marathon in the sub-elite field. They have used their platform to
advocate for diversity and inclusion within the running industry, including
non-binary divisions at races.
- Jamie Citron of Washington, D.C. - Originally from Highland Park, Ill.,
Jamie's family survived the 2022 Independence Day Parade mass shooting, one
of the two deadliest shootings in Illinois history. Jamie is participating
in the marathon as a member of Team Sandy Hook Promise to help his niece
reassociate running with positivity and reduce her trauma.
- Chris Di Niso of Bay Terrace, Staten Island, N.Y. - A non-binary native
of Staten Island who has worked for the New York City Department of
Sanitation for 17 years, Chris is part of the team that ensures the streets
are clean and clear for the marathon. They discovered NYRR Open Run in 2016
and have since become one of the longest-tenured Open Run participants and
have completed four TCS New York City Marathons.
- Margot Fleming of Los Angeles - The daughter of 1973 New York City
Marathon champion Tom Fleming, Margot is running her first TCS New York
City Marathon to honor the 50th anniversary of Tom's 1973 victory.
- Justin Grunewald of Boulder, Colo. - Justin's wife, Gabe Grunewald, a
professional runner, tragically lost her decade-long battle with a rare
cancer in 2019 at the age of 32. He is now continuing Gabe's legacy by
running the TCS New York City Marathon for Brave Like Gabe, the foundation
for cancer research that Gabe created during her illness.
- Roman Kashpur of Khmil'nyk, Ukraine - In 2019, Roman, a Ukrainian
soldier, lost his leg when stepping on a land mine and was fitted for a
prosthesis. When war broke out in Ukraine last year, he returned to the
front lines and helped train new troops, saving the region from
destruction. Within the span of eight days, Roman will run the Marine Corps
Marathon and the TCS New York City Marathon for Citizen Foundation, a
charity which supports wounded Ukrainian servicemen.
- Tania Kinsella and Glorisel Lee of North Shore and Annadale, Staten
Island, N.Y. - Proud to call Staten Island home, NYPD First Deputy
Commissioner Tania Kinsella - the first woman of color in the position -
and Capt. Glorisel Lee, the Commanding officer of the 123rd Precinct on
Staten Island, will run the marathon together after recently completing the
NYRR Staten Island Half in their home borough. This will be Tania's fifth
TCS New York City Marathon and Glorisel's first.
- Mandy Kwan of Marine Park, Brooklyn, N.Y. - Mandy immigrated to Brooklyn
from Hong Kong when she was 11 years old and has called the borough home
ever since. In 2015, her parents and their best friends started attending
NYRR Open Runs in Marine Park. Soon Mandy was inspired to get into running
herself, now with three generations of runners - her mom, Mandy, and her
kids - all participating in Open Run together. This year she ran her first
NYRR race and will be running her first marathon.
- Henry McGowan of Upper East Side, New York, N.Y. - After experiencing his
own mental health challenges, Henry is running his first TCS New York City
Marathon on behalf of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a
cause that is close to his heart.
- Robert Moore of Washington Heights, New York, N.Y. - A 72-year-old NYRR
Open Runner, Robert was diagnosed as borderline diabetic in 2016. When his
doctor recommended exercise, he worked with NYRR to launch a new Open Run
site at Inwood Hill Park. With the help of Open Run, he has dramatically
improved his blood sugar and lost over 50 pounds and will be completing his
sixth marathon.
- Wan Park of Kew Gardens, Queens, N.Y. - An immigrant from Korea who
struggled with culture shock and a language barrier, Wan found solace in
running by joining his high school track team. He's now a math teacher at a
school in the South Bronx, which is on Mile 19 of the marathon route, and
integrates running analogies into his math problems for students. Wan is
one of 50 teachers running the marathon as part of the TCS Teachers
program.
- Tony Passaro of Great Kills, Staten Island, N.Y. - Tony has been an NYPD
police officer for nearly 12 years and started running five years ago but
was sidelined with a serious injury after a freak accident in 2020. Unable
to run and 75 pounds overweight, he was inspired to begin running again
after hearing TCS New York City Marathon race director Ted Metellus address
the crowd at the Blue Line Painting Ceremony last year. He will run the
marathon with the NYPD Running Club.
- Pankaj Patel of East Meadow, N.Y. - A civil engineer with the New York
State Department of Transportation for the past 30 years, Pankaj helps
ensure the roads are safe for the marathon and also runs the roads himself
as a 16-time TCS New York City Marathon finisher. This year Pankaj's team
will help repair the Queensboro Bridge so roadway conditions for the
wheelchair athletes are optimal.
- Gisela Perez of Concourse Village, the Bronx, N.Y. - At 70 years old,
Gisela coaches and inspires runners and walkers of all ages - from high
school young women running for the first time to older adults maintaining
fitness in their 80s through NYRR's Run for the Future and Striders
programs. Gisela first discovered running in high school and ran her first
New York City Marathon in 1994. Almost 30 years later Gisela will complete
her 24th marathon, which will be her 300th NYRR race.
- Brock Polnaszek of Warren, R.I. - From the age of three Brock has
suffered from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and was told by a doctor that he
would never run a marathon. His experience as a child inspired him to
become a doctor. Mobility and movement have been beneficial to controlling
his RA symptoms and Brock will be running the marathon with the Arthritis
Foundation.
- Tricia Quartey-Sagaille of Park Slope, Brooklyn, N.Y. - A 42-year-old
runner, mother, and dentist, she is running the marathon for Black maternal
health and to honor her son, born last year. Her journey to motherhood was
difficult and riddled with health complications. Tricia had a real fear of
dying during childbirth as a Black woman and has dedicated her personal and
professional life to advocating for Black maternal health.
- Ryan Smith of Bethlehem, Pa. - Ryan is in his 25th year as a United
States Army soldier and has leaned on running to get him through difficult
times, including when he's far from family and when his mom passed away
unexpectedly. He is running the marathon for Release Recovery Foundation,
which granted his nephew a scholarship to help with his drug
rehabilitation.
- Rahsaan Thomas and Claire Gelbart of Oakland, Calif. and Prospect
Heights, Brooklyn, N.Y. - While serving a sentence of 55 years to life at
San Quentin State Prison, Rahsaan met volunteer Claire Gelbart and the two
quickly bonded over their shared passions of journalism and running. They
made a pact that when Rahsaan was released they would celebrate his freedom
by running the TCS New York City Marathon together. Six years later, that
dream is coming true and Rahsaan will be running for Empowerment Avenue, a
nonprofit he founded which supports incarcerated writers and artists.
- Anthony Tucker of Grand Concourse, the Bronx, N.Y. - Growing up in a
housing project in Harlem, Anthony lacked positive role models, seeing
himself reflected in the lives of neighborhood drug dealers and hustlers,
which led to him dropping out of high school. He was eventually inspired by
a friend to pursue his education and is now an assistant principal at a
school in the South Bronx. He's running his first marathon with NYRR Team
for Kids to prove that life's obstacles can be overcome and to support the
next generation of runners.
- Tiffany Velez of Lawrence, N.J. - As a teen mom growing up in Ridgewood,
Queens, Tiffany defied the odds and finished her education to become a
bilingual occupational therapist. She's training for her first marathon
with Ridgewood Runners.
- Verna Volker of Minneapolis - Verna is a proud mother, runner, member of
Navajo Nation, and founder of Native Women Running, which she started in
2018 to share stories of Native women and to give them a platform. The
organization provides race opportunities and resources for Native women,
all of whom share a spiritual relationship to running. Eight women,
including Verna, will represent Native Women Running at the marathon.
- Alice Yu of New Hyde Park, N.Y. - A survivor of 9/11 who walked down 71
flights of stairs in Tower 2 of the World Trade Center, Alice believes
she's been given a second chance at life. She's a new runner, having
started during the pandemic, and since 2020 has increased her race distance
from 5K to 10K to half marathon to now, her first full marathon in New
York.
About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
NYRR's mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958,
New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world's
premier community running organization. NYRR's commitment to New York
City's five boroughs features races, virtual races, community events, free
youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring
the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of
thousands of people each year with the motivation, know-how, and
opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR's premier event is the TCS New York City
Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features
a wide population of runners, from the world's top professional athletes to
a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn
more, visit www.nyrr.org.
###
|
