For its 50th anniversary, the TCS NYC Marathon set its own record, with more than 60,000 finishers for the first time in its storied history.
The five-borough race on Nov. 1 once again lived up to the hype — as runners from more than 140 countries gave it their all throughout the 26.2-mile course. Back in 1976, the first NYC Marathon featured only 2,000 runners.
Hands down, Marathon Sunday is the best day of the year in the greatest city in the world.
Soaking it all in was St. Francis de Sales parishioner Jean Williams, who completed her eighth marathon — seven in NYC, plus one in Chicago.
Williams, an extraordinary minister of holy Communion and an active volunteer at the parish’s Catholic academy, grew up in Marine Park attending Good Shepherd’s parochial school.
She played Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball, softball, swimming, and bowling for the parish.
After attending St. Saviour High School in Park Slope, Williams went to Iona College (now University) in New Rochelle to study education. That’s when she started finding a passion for long-distance running.
As she and her husband, Brian, raised their two boys — Ryan, 10, and Riley, 7, both altar servers, students, and CYO athletes at St. Francis de Sales — Williams’ running took a back seat.
She’s also a teacher at P.S. 377 in Ozone Park, so finding the time to train for long-distance races was challenging.
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What started as shorter runs whenever she could evolved into longer distances. Inspired by her family members, she entered the New York City Half Marathon lottery in 2010 and was selected. That same year, she followed that up by entering the full NYC Marathon lottery, and sure enough, she got a bid.
The 50th anniversary race was even more special to Williams, who delighted in seeing runners with the number of marathons they’ve completed on their bibs. Feeding off the energy of the crowd was also a motivating factor for her, especially when she saw her own family members along the route.
“Marathon Sunday is a holiday,” Williams said. “It’s my favorite holiday. The NYC Marathon would not be the NYC Marathon without the spectators. I was hopeful to have a fabulous, fun-filled time, and I did. Whatever side of the barriers you’re on, it’s the best day.”
In a world with so much division, there’s something about the NYC Marathon that unites everyone involved — the runners, spectators, and race officials alike. At least for one day, nationality, ethnicity, and age do not matter — it’s everyone working toward a common goal, and it’s extremely refreshing for humanity.
“It is just absolutely incredible,” Williams said. “That’s what I kept thinking. At every single race as well, everybody is for everybody.
“It’s different than any other sport. Whether it be hockey or baseball or basketball, you have your opponent. You want to steal the ball or the puck. You want to get the other person out. But when you’re running a marathon, you are on the same team, guiding everybody to the finish.”
Seeing runners help one another along the grueling journey also adds to the community feel of the race. Sometimes a quick bit of encouragement from a stranger is all an exhausted runner needs to find