Running News Daily

For one Staten Island runner, the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon is about far more than completing 26.2 miles.

It is the latest chapter in a remarkable personal transformation that has seen him lose nearly 200 pounds and discover a completely different relationship with his body, his health and running.

On November 1, he will line up among roughly 50,000 runners at Fort Wadsworth, beneath the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, waiting for the signal that will send the world's largest marathon field into the streets of New York.

For most competitors, Staten Island is simply where their marathon journey begins.

For him, it is home.

That makes those opening miles especially meaningful.

The New York City Marathon has started on Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge since 1976, sending runners across the bridge before carrying them through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan toward the finish in Central Park.

This year, one hometown runner will make that journey carrying a story that began long before he ever dreamed of standing on the marathon start line.

Not long ago, he was carrying nearly 200 pounds more on his body.

Now, he is preparing to carry himself 26.2 miles through New York City.

The photographs tell part of the story.

In one earlier image, he appears in a blue Giants shirt, smiling at a tailgate. In a later photograph, the transformation is unmistakable: a much leaner runner wearing a racing singlet and bib, pushing through the rain during a tune-up race.

The difference is striking, but the real story is everything that happened between those two photographs.

Losing nearly 200 pounds is not simply about changing appearance. It can mean relearning how to move, rebuilding confidence and discovering physical possibilities that once seemed out of reach.

For someone who has spent years carrying substantial additional weight, everyday movement can itself become a demanding physical task. Walking, climbing stairs and simply staying active can require considerably more effort.

As weight comes off, however, the equation begins to change.

Movement becomes easier. Exercise becomes more accessible. And for some people, activities that once seemed impossible — including long-distance running — gradually become realistic goals.

That journey can be challenging, particularly when the goal eventually becomes a marathon.

The body still has to adapt to thousands upon thousands of running strides, while training must be increased carefully enough to allow the muscles, tendons, bones and cardiovascular system to adjust.

The knees are often one of the biggest concerns for runners returning to exercise after major weight loss.

But the relationship between body weight and running is more complicated than simply asking whether heavier runners should run. Training history, strength, biomechanics, injury history and how quickly mileage is increased all matter.

That is why a marathon transformation is not created in a single dramatic moment.

It is built through hundreds of ordinary decisions — one workout, one walk, one healthier choice and one difficult training day at a time.

And now, after making that transformation, this Staten Island resident is preparing to stand on one of the most recognizable marathon starting lines in the world.

There will be elite athletes chasing victory.

There will be experienced marathoners pursuing personal records.

There will be first-time marathoners simply hoping to reach Central Park.

And among them will be a hometown runner whose greatest race began long before November 1.

His marathon will be measured in miles, minutes and seconds, but those numbers will never tell the whole story.

The most important distance he has already covered is the one between who he was and who he has become.

On marathon morning, Staten Island will once again send thousands of runners toward the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

For this runner, however, the journey will carry an especially powerful meaning.

He is not just running away from where his transformation began.

He is running from home — toward the finish line, toward a new personal milestone and toward the remarkable possibility of becoming a marathoner.

Nearly 200 pounds lighter.

Twenty-six-point-two miles ahead.

And one unforgettable New York City Marathon waiting to be conquered.