NYC Marathon takes Manhattan… interview with Brodsky

[Guest guest]

NYC Marathon takes Manhattan…

interview with Brodsky

With only 127 runners taking to the streets back in 1970, the marathon grew more each year to hit its all time high of 37,000 runners from all over the world expecting to participate this year.

On November 05 runners will be starting in Staten Island running through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan for a victorious finish in New York’s Central Park. The New York City Marathon will officially start at 8:00am to 10:10am (depending on the classification of the runners) and is expected to have a turnout of more then 260 million viewers throughout its route.

As the Marathon draws closer, we hear more and more about the runners, however there will be more entries this year than ever before by those who don’t run… Yes there is a Wheelchair Division, Hand Cycle Division and Athletes with Disabilities. In the past, Wheelchair Athletes have been known to race through the course at speeds up to 40 MPH.

But not all disabilities are as apparent as someone in a wheelchair or on a hand cycle. There will be thousands of runners attending with disabilities such as AIDS, cancer and artificial limbs as well as with other disabilities.

I spoke with one of these Athletes to find out what motivates him to run each year. To my surprise, I found that there is a lot more behind someone’s drive to run than I would have imagined.

M. Brodsky suffers from HIV and brain cancer, yet he runs Marathons throughout the US and Africa. This one man’s motivation lead him from a life of being a successful architect to the founder of The M. Brodsky Foundation (www. richardmbrodsky.org) and the World AIDS Marathon (www.worldaidsmarathon.com). He has even written a book about his experiences and setbacks along the way. It became apparent through talking with Mr. Brodsky that there is so much more to the runners than just the next step of a marathon.

If this is one man’s story and motivations, just think about how many other stories there are among over 37,000 runners. Mr. Brodsky has shown me that these runners need our support and prayers more then we will ever know. If you can attend and be one of the 260 million viewers, please do so and let each and every runner know that you’re behind them 100%. Also be sure to do your part to support these runners in other ways. A lot of them rely on sponsors, donations and participation from their supporters. I wish I could list every runner’s website for you to visit, but that would fill a book by itself. You can take your first step by visiting The M. Brodsky Foundation and offer your support even if only through a few kind words in an E-mail. You never know how far that donation or few words will reach out into the world, what you do know is it reached you through this article. That in itself should say something.

Mr. Brodsky has provided us with the following statement that will help you to take a little better look past the running shoes or that next step and see things through the runners mind.

“As an HIV-positive guy with brain cancer, I run the NYC Marathon every year. It is my chance to show people suffering from life-threatening illnesses that they can live a productive life if they lead an upbeat lifestyle and have access to doctors and medicine. But what about the millions of Americans who do not have health insurance or who are too poor to afford insurance? How can these people remain upbeat? And to make matters worse, society has dictated that HIV-positive people are at the low end of the social spectrum. After all, who would you rather have at your next party: a man who stole millions from the IRS or an HIV-positive person?

My wife, Jodi and I could have kept our silly secret that I was HIV-positive and lived with the stigma and shame that society casts on HIV-positive people. It became too stressful to continue living a lie. If more people would be willing to stand up and say they are HIV-positive, it would stand to reason that more pressure could be placed on politicians to address the needs of the uninsured and make sure that all people in America have access to the same health care that is available to the majority of Americans.

Globally, the situation is far worse and I have established the M. Brodsky Foundation which is co-sponsoring a World AIDS Marathon in Kisumu, Kenya with the Kisumu AIDS Marathon Organization.â€

I would like to thank Mr. Brodsky and all the others entered in this year’s marathon for all their hard work.

Written by Artie Wallace E-mail Artie at contact@... for additional information

[Guest guest]

NYC Marathon takes Manhattan…

interview with Brodsky

With only 127 runners taking to the streets back in 1970, the marathon grew more each year to hit its all time high of 37,000 runners from all over the world expecting to participate this year.

On November 05 runners will be starting in Staten Island running through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan for a victorious finish in New York’s Central Park. The New York City Marathon will officially start at 8:00am to 10:10am (depending on the classification of the runners) and is expected to have a turnout of more then 260 million viewers throughout its route.

As the Marathon draws closer, we hear more and more about the runners, however there will be more entries this year than ever before by those who don’t run… Yes there is a Wheelchair Division, Hand Cycle Division and Athletes with Disabilities. In the past, Wheelchair Athletes have been known to race through the course at speeds up to 40 MPH.

But not all disabilities are as apparent as someone in a wheelchair or on a hand cycle. There will be thousands of runners attending with disabilities such as AIDS, cancer and artificial limbs as well as with other disabilities.

I spoke with one of these Athletes to find out what motivates him to run each year. To my surprise, I found that there is a lot more behind someone’s drive to run than I would have imagined.

M. Brodsky suffers from HIV and brain cancer, yet he runs Marathons throughout the US and Africa. This one man’s motivation lead him from a life of being a successful architect to the founder of The M. Brodsky Foundation (www. richardmbrodsky.org) and the World AIDS Marathon (www.worldaidsmarathon.com). He has even written a book about his experiences and setbacks along the way. It became apparent through talking with Mr. Brodsky that there is so much more to the runners than just the next step of a marathon.

If this is one man’s story and motivations, just think about how many other stories there are among over 37,000 runners. Mr. Brodsky has shown me that these runners need our support and prayers more then we will ever know. If you can attend and be one of the 260 million viewers, please do so and let each and every runner know that you’re behind them 100%. Also be sure to do your part to support these runners in other ways. A lot of them rely on sponsors, donations and participation from their supporters. I wish I could list every runner’s website for you to visit, but that would fill a book by itself. You can take your first step by visiting The M. Brodsky Foundation and offer your support even if only through a few kind words in an E-mail. You never know how far that donation or few words will reach out into the world, what you do know is it reached you through this article. That in itself should say something.

Mr. Brodsky has provided us with the following statement that will help you to take a little better look past the running shoes or that next step and see things through the runners mind.

“As an HIV-positive guy with brain cancer, I run the NYC Marathon every year. It is my chance to show people suffering from life-threatening illnesses that they can live a productive life if they lead an upbeat lifestyle and have access to doctors and medicine. But what about the millions of Americans who do not have health insurance or who are too poor to afford insurance? How can these people remain upbeat? And to make matters worse, society has dictated that HIV-positive people are at the low end of the social spectrum. After all, who would you rather have at your next party: a man who stole millions from the IRS or an HIV-positive person?

My wife, Jodi and I could have kept our silly secret that I was HIV-positive and lived with the stigma and shame that society casts on HIV-positive people. It became too stressful to continue living a lie. If more people would be willing to stand up and say they are HIV-positive, it would stand to reason that more pressure could be placed on politicians to address the needs of the uninsured and make sure that all people in America have access to the same health care that is available to the majority of Americans.

Globally, the situation is far worse and I have established the M. Brodsky Foundation which is co-sponsoring a World AIDS Marathon in Kisumu, Kenya with the Kisumu AIDS Marathon Organization.â€

I would like to thank Mr. Brodsky and all the others entered in this year’s marathon for all their hard work.

Written by Artie Wallace E-mail Artie at contact@... for additional information