2022 NYC MARATHON: Meet the Marathoners III
Our special preview of the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon kicks off with our “Meet the Marathoners” series. Over 60 New York Harriers are signed up for the race. Read below on how some of them are training and preparing for the big day — and how they plan to celebrate crossing one of the world’s most iconic finish lines!
Jonathan Gerafi
Jonathan Gerafi is quite the worldly Harrier. Born and raised in Copenhagen, and frequently visiting Israel, Jonathan caught wanderlust early on. After spending his college years in Tel Aviv, he got a job offer in the U.S. He spent just a few months in D.C., before heading to New York, where he’s lived since 2013. While his family is still in Denmark, Jonathan embraces the Big Apple. “I love the diversity, dynamics, craziness and energy – it's truly unlike anywhere else.”
That energy is what pushed Jonathan to join the team in April of this year after he, his mother and sister all ran the NYC Half. Having enjoyed running his first long distance run (“even picking up the bib was fun!”), he threw his hat into the ring that is the New York City Marathon lottery – and won. “I was very excited when it happened,” he says and immediately started looking for groups that offered “something social and were competitive at the same time – and the Harriers was a perfect match! I really feel like there is something for everyone and the team has great chemistry.”
Training for his first marathon is “unlike anything I have ever done,” he admits. He’s more of a soccer enthusiast. “I never understood why people liked running long distances.” Now he says Wednesday nights and tempo runs are his favorite workouts. “Wednesday nights because of the turnout – it’s always fun. And tempo run because that's when I push myself the most.” He’s also wrestling with those pre-marathon doubts many first-time marathoners face: “I still think it's a little weird you don't run a marathon before the marathon… I am taking a leap of faith and trusting the training plan will work so we will see what happens.” But Jonathan has the support of his team and his coaches to help him through. “A big thank you to Scott – he is a great coach and always ready to answer one of my many questions.”
On race day, he’ll be looking for his wife and the Harriers on the course to cheer him on. And, like a true Harrier, he will celebrate with a beer after he finishes. “There is always a combination of a great atmosphere and healthy competition,” he says about the team, “which has made showing up to training so much easier and made the marathon journey a great experience.”
Amrita Ramamurthy
Speaking of Denmark, Coach Amrita Ramamurthy is currently running the cobbled streets of Copenhagen herself this week as she gears up for her sixth consecutive New York City Marathon. This will also be Amrita’s twelfth time tackling the 26.2 beast, coming off a pretty nutty year during which she conquered her first Boston in April and then absolutely smashed Chicago this month with a 6-minute PR in 3:10:58. No rest for the weary.
But Amrita’s heart lies with her hometown race. “I love the NYC Marathon more than any other day of the year,” she gushes. It wasn’t always like that. Growing up just east of the course on York Ave meant “being sequestered in Yorkville” on the first Sunday of November each year. “We honestly dreaded it,” she confesses. But after starting her NYC Marathon running streak in 2016, it's quickly become a family favorite. “My parents are always out smiling, cheering, and proudly telling strangers that I am their daughter which warms my heart!”
When she’s not being distracted by the cute doggos of New York, you’ll often catch Amrita doing laps in Central Park, using running as a way to connect with friends. “Marathon season often means a lot of hour plus mid-week morning runs, and turning those into social hour has become a highlight of my routine,” she explains. “It's a really good feeling to complete your run while building a relationship all before the daily stand-up call.”
And on race day, Coach AmRam will be relying heavily on those connections. “It's a highlight to strategically place the people I love along the course and write it all down on my arm in sharpie the night before,” she says. “It makes some of those miles really tick by.” And her secret weapon? Well, it comes with a disclaimer: “I would like to precede this by saying I am not recommending this as a blanket suggestion. Got it? Ok. That being said,” she continues, “I also love a good mid-marathon 5 Hour Energy and one of my favorite things is finding a friend or teammate to be posted up somewhere in Brooklyn with the duty of 5HrE bestower -- people love being a part of your race!”
And Amrita likes being a part of her teammates’ races as well. “This is also my second year coaching,” she says. “And feeling like I was a contributing factor to every race, from the perfectly executed PRs to the pure grit-fueled finishes, really fills me with pride.” She says that’s also the source of her biggest inspiration. “As sappy as it is, my teammates inspire me most,” she says. “Getting to watch my teammates who I have seen wake up early, work hard, and motivate each other is so rewarding – in a way, the whole team is sharing a journey.”
Francesco Babini
Rounding out this week’s international edition of Meet the Marathoners is Italian Harrier Francesco Babini. His global running street cred includes having completed five of the six Abbott Marathon Majors (he and Amrita are on the same intense 2022 marathon schedule of Boston in April and Chicago earlier this month). His marathon PR is from Berlin in 2019 where he ran a 3:36:20, and next month he’ll be tackling the iconic New York City race for a second time.
Francesco was originally focused on Chicago this year, but he’s hoping to channel some of that Windy City energy into those Manhattan miles. “Chicago is an exciting city and I really enjoyed the marathon course,” he reflects on his most recent race. But it was a tough day for him. “During the race I thought I would run faster than in Boston, where I struggled more. But at the finish line, the time was more or less the same,” he says. But he has a plan for NYC: “I will try to redeem myself in New York with the help of a new pair of faster shoes!”
Francesco lives in Italy, but comes to New York at least once a year. When he’s here, he likes to spend some of his time at some of the city’s most iconic museums. “The Met, Whitney, MoMA, PS1,” he lists. “I recently read a book about the life of [Joseph] Douveen who was the art dealer of some of the wealthiest families in the world in the early 1900s,” a great way to learn more about New York’s fascinating art history, he says.
When he’s not immersed in the art and architecture of this great city, Francesco is busy strategizing how to run through it. For his pre-race routine, this Harrier likes to keep it simple: “I try to sleep the night before, walk around the village to enjoy the party,” he says. “And try to remember to tie my shoes!”
Francesco doesn’t run with tunes, but he does somehow find the breath to hum songs to himself when he wants to turn up the pace. Among his favorites are “Walk this Way” and “You Shook Me All Night Long,” but mainly he likes to tune into the sounds of the marathon itself. “I love the background noise and hearing footsteps,” he says. And he’ll also hear the sounds of his teammates cheering him on at mile 18.
One thing this Italiano has no doubts about is the meal he’ll enjoy for dinner on race-day eve: “Spaghetti... what else?!” In that spirit, the team wishes Francesco and all our marathoners buona fortuna on race day!