If You Can Make It There …
By Kevin Enners
The air was filled with excitement and anticipation as runners from around the world gathered on Staten Island to participate in one of the most sought-after races: The TSC New York City Marathon. At the start, KPF Athlete Sherry Adams and Teammate Mike Ragan ran across the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge toward Brooklyn amid throngs of contestants.
Getting swept up by the roaring river of runners, Mike quickly noticed he was running at an unnaturally fast pace. Too fast. Mike knew he couldn’t last. With only a 10k under their belts, Mike was concerned.
“I started to doubt that I could make it another twenty miles,” Mike said.
Undulating with twists and turns, the racecourse arched around a bend where friends and family members cheered. From the chair, Sherry was brimming with excitement. The bib numbers safety-pinned to them displayed their names. The crowd of spectators lining the course chanted, “Sherry! Sherry! Sherry!”
Looking at Sherry who was grinning from ear to ear, Mike’s heart drummed with excitement. He gathered his courage and continued pushing onward. Mike checked on Sherry. He spotted her typing a message on her phone as a large smile spread across her face.
“We’re really doing this,” Sherry’s memo read. Mike looked around, taking it all in. Running down 5th Avenue, Mike felt the ground shake with enthusiasm from the crowd. The entire street, just runners and the crowd, working together as one functioning organism.
This was the first big event Mike and Sherry had done in a while. While Sherry kept up with KPF’s race calendar, completing a number shorter-distance events, Mike had fallen behind in his training. His last major event was the 2014 Marine Corp Marathon.
However, Mike has always maintained his involvement with KPF throughout the years helping with race logistics, transporting race chairs, welcoming new faces at KPF events, and mentoring new KPF Teammates, showing them how to run with athletes as “the run coordinator.”
“I started training in the spring (for New York),” Mike said. “I had not run in seven years.”
Marathons embody the spirit of resilience and determination. Runners, ranging from seasoned athletes to first-time rookies, embark on a journey that extends beyond physical endurance. In the beginning of June, Mike and Sherry tested their strength in The Hotlanta Half-marathon, an attraction for runners local to Atlanta.
“It was tough. It was hot. There were many hills,” Mike remembered. “But we had a really good time.”
After The Hotlanta Half-marathon, Mike and Sherry received the exciting news that they were one of the few duo teams selected to participate in the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon. Unfortunately, for the rest of that summer, Mike would battle recurring injuries, pushing his and Sherry’s dream farther away until it became a speck on the horizon. However, not all hope would be lost. With some tips and encouragement from Brent Pease, Mike slowly regained fitness.
Mike told Sherry he wouldn’t be fast but promised her they would have fun. With Sherry’s mom, Becky, as the interpreter, Sherry responded, assuring Mike she didn’t care about the pace; she wanted to race with him because she knew they would “have a good time.”
Spectators that line the streets of New York offer more than encouragement; they offer a sense of belonging, creating an atmosphere of camaraderie that propels every competitor forward. Sherry’s radiating spirit fueled Mike’s thwacking foot strike behind her.
“Sherry was definitely what kept me going,” Mike later reflected. “She never gave up on me. She laughed the whole way – even when I was walking up every bridge.”
In the middle of the excitement, Mike’s commitment to take care of Sherry was noticed by spectators from the five boroughs of New York. Every so often, Mike pulled off to check on Sherry. He gave her water and gummy bears, staying on top of her nutritional needs. Each time they got back into the marathon, as if showing their respect and support towards the duo, street-lined crowds applauded for them in typical New York style.
“The crowd would erupt like we were the most amazing thing they had seen that day.”
As runners cross the finish line in Central Park, regardless of their time, they become part of a legacy. These competitors come from all walks of life. Mike and Sherry were one of ten push-assist teams who had earned a place in the city’s most-anticipated and iconic annual sporting event.
As the cityscape returned to its bustling rhythm post-marathon, the spirit of endurance lingered — a testament to the unbreakable bond between the runners, the city, and the unwavering support that defines this extraordinary event – in the metropolis that is always on the run.
