Running has always been the ultimate mind game for me. It’s you against yourself — your mind controlling your legs, your breath, and your ability to keep moving forward when everything in you wants to stop. Training over the past few years has taught me that the body is capable of incredible things, but only when the mind believes it can push a little bit harder. That lesson has shaped me far beyond running.
This year, I’m taking that mindset into the NYC Marathon with a purpose that hits close to home. I’m running for Undue Medical Debt, helping abolish medical debt for uninsured and underinsured New Yorkers. It’s an opportunity I never imagined I’d have, and one that means more to me than I can fully express. I’ve watched both my fiancée and my late father face tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills while battling and recovering from cancer. Seeing debt pile up at the exact moment someone is fighting for their life changes you. It sharpens your sense of what’s fair, what’s humane, and what needs to change.
So every mile I run is for the people carrying that same weight — the ones trying to heal while being crushed by bills they never asked for. If running has taught me anything, it’s that we can always push a little harder. And this is a push I’m proud to make.
