Brian Hsia had a dream in creating an official team for the
Alzheimer’s Association in participating as a charity for the New York City
Marathon in 2006. He joined the Junior
Committee (JC) to learn more about the Alzheimer’s Disease because his
grandmother first showed signs of it in 2003.
He brought up the idea to former JC President, Meghann McKale, which probably at the time thought he was
crazy. He got that dream fulfilled in
2009, after 2 years of rejection and despair applying and reapplying.
Modeling the program from two previous Alzheimer’s
Association chapter running programs: Chicago and Boston, and teaming up with
an even crazier runner, Jeff LeBlanc,
they set forward in putting a running program together in 1 month (first
impressions of Jeff was that he had to stay off the caffeine.)
Trained as an architect, Brian has been running since high
school in Somers, NY. Since moving to
New York City nine years ago, he has evolved from a sprinter into a long
distance runner. When Brian attempted to
run his first half marathon, his only goal was to "complete" the
race. He now runs ultra marathons and multiple marathons in the same weekend. The
marathon is his favorite distance with the perfect combination of speed,
distance and time. He has competed in 38+ marathons and has a quest to complete
a marathon in all 50 states. He ran his
personal record of 2:54:42 in the 2010 Boston Marathon. He enjoys running
competitively, although giving back to the running community is a better
satisfaction than any personal achievement. Best known for running with his
camera, taking pictures of teammates, and capturing race moments along the way,
he enjoys saying hello to friends in Central Park.
Trained as a Road Runners Club of America, USA Track and
Field certified coach and Track and Field Academy, he is also the New York City
marathon coach for the New York Road Runners Team for Kids. Brian also served as the co-director of the
marathon training program for the New York Flyers, one of the largest running
clubs in New York City and has been featured in The New York Times.
Brian’s advice to a new runner training for a marathon is, 1)
“Listen to your body, the marathon training is a long season, pace
yourself.” 2)“Just have fun with it.
Have no expectations, enjoy the moment and believe in yourself. You are doing
this for yourself. You will gain so much more than you will expect as you bond
friendships, memories, and new experiences in your life”
Alexandra Cohen
I am not directly affiliated with
the Alzheimers’s association, but have become dedicated to spread awareness and
the fight against Alzheimer’s. When I was asked to be part of the
2010 it was a great honor. I am excited, amazed and thankful to be with a team
that has such passion for the reason why they are running.
My role as a coach is to design a
run specific/technical training program, as well as avoid, treat, and beat
injuries. My background is in Exercise Science (slowly advancing to
exercise physiology). I am licensed in manual therapies with multiple sports
specific certifications. I have both personal training and group
fitness certifications through ACSM, NSAC, ACE and Advanced first aid.
In my teens I trained and
competed as an elite athlete (not running). Some of my worst and
best, mental, and physical moments occurred during my training and racing
seasons. When I decided to stop, I also decided to try every other
extreme sport and resulted in a life altering injury that led me to be a runner. My
recovery started with walking up 2 steps and ending with a ½
marathon. Today, running is something I love and am passionate
about.
Meghann McKale
When I first moved to New York, in 2002, my grandmother was already in the late stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. I wanted to do something in her honor and I was lucky enough to find the Junior Committee, an amazing group of young people dedicated to raising funds and awareness in the fight against Alzheimer’s. As time passed I became more involved in the group, and in 2006 I was elected President.
When I first moved to New York, in 2002, my grandmother was already in the late stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. I wanted to do something in her honor and I was lucky enough to find the Junior Committee, an amazing group of young people dedicated to raising funds and awareness in the fight against Alzheimer’s. As time passed I became more involved in the group, and in 2006 I was elected President.
Each year we applied to be an
official Marathon charity and each year we were denied – until 2009, when we
were finally accepted, and I decided to dive in and run the Marathon myself! I
had no running experience at all, but I wanted to do something big to bring
attention to the fight against Alzheimer's. That first Marathon was one of the
greatest experiences of my life, so I kept running, and joined Team Run to
Remember again in 2010. I've finished two New York City Marathons and eight
half marathons. In 2011 I became an RRCA-certified running
coach. This year, I am beyond honored
to be part of the R2R coaching team once again.
Chuck Mazzone
I
was a runner in high school and after graduating college, running would just be
a way for me to decompress after a long day at work. It wasn't until I met
Meghann, my wife and R2R coach, that I learned about Alzheimer's. Seeing how
Meghann's grandmother suffered made me want to give a voice to this horrible
disease. When the Junior Committee was accepted into the 2009 NYC Marathon, I
jumped at the chance to run and support a great cause all at the same time.
This will be my third marathon and first as coach of Team Run to Remember. I
have seen this team grow into something special over these previous three years
and I am very excited to run again this Fall.
My
advice to all our runners would be, "Success isn't how far you got but the
distance you traveled from where you started."
Steve Russolillo
When my grandmother passed away from Alzheimer's a little
more than three years ago, I knew I wanted to do something in her memory. So
when the Alzheimer's Association came calling about an open coaching position,
I jumped on it. There's nothing more fulfilling than coaching a passionate
group of people who all have the same goal in mind: Run hard and raise money
for a great cause.
I'm a relatively new runner (I completed my first marathon
in June 2010). But I've packed a lot of running into a short amount of time.
I've completed three marathons -- including the New York City marathon last
year -- eight half marathons and a number of shorter races over
the last two years. Running has quickly become a passion of mine, and I can't
wait to share my history and experiences with R2R runners.
I completed two of my three marathons with Team in
Training, and credit what I've learned to their incredible coaching
staff. I'm excited to take much of what I've learned and pass it on to our
team. My advice for new runners: Have fun. The best thing about training in a
group is forming bonds and friendships with all your teammates. Cherish the
training, don't be afraid of it. We're all in this together with the same goals
in mind. Let's make it happen.
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