When Joel Kaufman of Queens walked throughout the TCS New York Metropolis Marathon end line final 12 months previous 8 p.m., after most runners and spectators had lengthy since left Central Park, he earned an uncommon honor.
“I acquired a name the subsequent day from New York Highway Runners,” Kaufman advised The Submit concerning the group that produces the 26.2-mile race. “[They] stated, ‘You’re the official final end.’ I stated, ‘That’s so nice. I acquired a title that no one can take away from me.’ It’s not like being the 57,000th finisher.”
Kaufman’s time of 8 hours, 43 minutes and 34 seconds — a tempo of 19 minutes and 59 seconds per mile — was his slowest within the decade he’s been strolling the NYC Marathon to help individuals battling leukemia and lymphoma blood cancers.
The 66-year-old retired highschool math trainer who goes by “Whammy” will probably be again for Sunday’s marathon — and this time he’ll be beginning two hours earlier as a nod to his inspirational story.
“I’m going to be beginning at 9:10, 10 minutes after the elite runners, with three-hour marathoners subsequent to me,” Kaufman stated. “I’ll be all the best way on the appropriate facet of the street, strolling with my cape and 50,000 individuals will run previous me shouting, ‘In your left.’”
Kaufman wears a cape spotlighting leukemia sufferers and people who have helped him increase over $150,000.
He additionally sports activities an American flag headband, a Jewish star, a military-style canine tag calling for the return of Israeli hostages, a shirt highlighting the Staff in Coaching fundraising program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and a necklace of colourful toes that celebrates his pal’s restoration after a stem cell transplant.
A longtime hiker, Kaufman was impressed to start out strolling the NYC Marathon in 2015 by a childhood pal who developed leukemia and has since died. He completed the race in 7 hours and 40 minutes.
“As soon as I acquired in marathon form, I couldn’t simply return on the sofa, and it definitely crammed my days and gave me one thing to do through the day as a retired trainer,” Kaufman stated.
The daddy of 4 has accomplished marathons at Disney World and in London and Chicago as properly.
Kaufman sometimes trains by strolling 5 miles each different day. He walks as an alternative of runs to cut back the prospect he’ll get injured.
Which means he’s on the course for a really very long time. His quickest NYC Marathon was 6 hours, 53 minutes and 4 seconds in 2017. His “dream time” is 6 hours, half-hour.
Marathoners have till 10 p.m. to finish the five-borough course regardless of their begin time.
Kaufman brings music with him, although the battery solely lasts 5 hours. He often finds somebody to speak with to go the time.
He additionally carries his personal snacks — pretzel crisps, protein bars and Fig Newtons — and a water bottle in case the water stations are working low when he arrives.
Often by the point he hits First Avenue within the Bronx, towards the top of the race, it’s a “zombie stroll.”
“It’s darkish, and the general public which can be on the bars on First Avenue, they barely discover you. A pair go, ‘Hey, you’re nonetheless working. Stick with it,’” Kaufman stated. “[Once] any person stated to me, ‘You might run.’ And I checked out him — that may have been at like mile 16 or 17 — and I stated, ‘You might shut the f up.’”
His objective with each marathon is to “end and dwell.” Final 12 months, he positioned 51,266th of 51,348 finishers.
NYRR advised The Submit that Kaufman was the final individual to formally cross the end line — the finishers listed after him spent longer on the course however began earlier.
This 12 months, NYRR is letting Kaufman begin behind the primary wave as a part of Staff Encourage, a bunch of 26 marathon runners — one for every mile — with probably the most compelling tales.
Kaufman plans to maintain including chapters to his story by strolling extra marathons.
“There’s no purpose for me to cease,” he stated. “I’m simply warming up.”
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