Veteran Marathoners Share Inspiring Stories as Part of NYC Marathon's Team Inspire
Runners of diverse backgrounds, including a 50-year streak participant and survivors of tragedy, are honored for their compelling personal journeys.
The New York City Marathon is set to feature a collection of inspiring stories through the New York Road Runners (NYRR) Team Inspire, which recognizes 26 runners for their unique journeys. Among them is Dave Obelkevich, an 83-year-old who is on track to complete his 50th consecutive five-borough NYC Marathon, a streak that began in 1976.
Obelkevich, who has persevered through a broken rib, emergency surgery for an aneurysm, and ongoing balance issues, is the only runner to have completed every NYC Marathon since the race expanded to all five boroughs. He will be participating in this year's race, walking the course with his stepdaughter, Maria T. Finch, who serves as his guide.
The marathon has undergone significant transformation since Obelkevich's first five-borough race. In 1970, the race debuted with only 55 finishers in Central Park. Six years later, the five-borough route was introduced, drawing 1,549 finishers. Last year's race saw over 59,000 finishers, with more than 240,000 applicants for the 2026 event.
Obelkevich noted the dramatic increase in female competitors, with just 62 women finishing in 1976 compared to over 27,000 last year. He also observed the growing community engagement in neighborhoods along the route.
Julianna Mangano, 26, will be running her first marathon in honor of her cousin, Bernard Frank Veneziano, who died of sudden cardiac arrest in 2020. Mangano found running to be a way to cope with her loss and aims to complete the race her cousin never got to finish.
Dennis LeVasseur, a 65-year-old retired deputy fire chief from Massachusetts, will run his first NYC Marathon to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11. LeVasseur was part of the Massachusetts Task Force 1 that arrived in New York City following the terrorist attacks. He is running to raise money for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and to honor those lost.
Jaclyn “Jackie” Corin, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting and co-founder of March For Our Lives, is running with a team of 10 from her organization, which is an official charity partner of the NYC Marathon. Corin, who began running in Oxford, views the sport as an escape from her advocacy work and will be running in memory of her late father, a New Yorker.
The 26 runners in Team Inspire represent a diverse group, selected for their compelling personal narratives that highlight resilience, remembrance, and the transformative power of running.