Another New York State of Mind

Well another NYC marathon is in the books. This weekend marked my 7th time running the Big Apple and my 26th marathon overall. All 7 of my NYC marathons have been for the charity Grassroot Soccer, a charity founded by my good buddy and fellow cancer crusher Ethan Zohn. This year was another memorable adventure. And while every marathon brings with it a unique brand of hurt, knowing that you are having a positive impact on someone or something in this universe that is much bigger than your hurt – makes it all palatable.

This year our group raised over $100,000 (and counting). That’s enough to empower 2,000 young people with our life changing soccer-based programs in sub-Saharan Africa. We are changing lives, and that feels good. The marathon weekend was the perfect combination of family, friends, excitement, endorphins, satisfaction, and reward. Many thanks go out to all of the volunteers of the race and to the staff and volunteers at Grassroot Soccer who make all of this possible. GRS enables me to realize my dreams; which just so happen to create life changing opportunities for others. Win – win.

As always a very special thank you goes out to my forever partner and wife of 29 years, Mary Grace for her unwavering support of everything that I do. And again, a special thank you to my sister in law and her husband and family for their love, support, and hospitality on race weekend.

Next up is the half marathon in Philadelphia on November 22nd, followed by some holiday regrouping and 2016 planning. Stay tuned!