Spotlight - The Coaches

Brian Hsia

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

Ali is not directly affiliated with the Alzheimers’s Association, but have become dedicated to spread awareness and the fight against Alzheimer’s.  When asked to be part of the 2010, it was a great honor. She was really 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. 

Glen Wiener

Glen is a former collegiate quarter miler who in 2006 rediscovered my love for running when I began to focus on running the marathon.  Since then he have completed 18 marathons, including New York, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia.  Proving that age is just a number, he has recently achieved his marathon PR of 3:12 and a half marathon PR of 1:29 both at the age of 52.  In 2012, he has placed third in his age group in two marathons, a ten mile, and four mile race.  

After decades as a competitive runner, he now achieve immense enjoyment in coaching others and helping them achieve their running goals.  He has completed the rigorous USA Track & Field Level 2 coaching certification program with a specialization in endurance events and also a Road Runners Club of America certified coach.  In 2007, he has created the New York Flyers Marathon Training Program and its famous Three Bridges 20 Mile training run and he still serves as the Director of the Program.  For over six years, he has been a marathon and half-marathon coach with the New York Road Runners’ Team for Kids.   His training programs and advice have been featured in the New York Times and New York Runner magazine. 

A lawyer by trade, he now works as an arbitrator for New York State and a former Captain and two-term President of the New York Flyers running club.  As a coach with Athletes to End Alzheimer’s he is extremely excited to help you reach your running objectives.

The Coaches...

Each week we will be picking members to spotlight to tell their Alzheimer's story and why they are running in this year's New York City marathon. Check in each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday for new updates on who will be spotlighted and get to know your teammates...(each person is picked at random) 

Brian Hsia

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.

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. 

The Coaches

Brian Hsia
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. (really,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 Westchester, NY. Since moving to New York City seven 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 30 marathons and has a quest to complete a marathon in all 50 states. He recently 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 and 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 and USA Track and Field certified coach, he is also the New York City marathon coach for the New York Road Runners Team for Kids in New York. 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, “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”

Jeff LeBlanc

I found Brian and Meghann in 2008 after a phone call to the NYC Chapter about ways to get involved in the fight against Alzheimer's (my grandmother was in advanced stages of the disease at the time). Their energy for the cause was contagious and inspiring, so I signed up immediately to help out wherever possible: as a JC Treasurer early on, and when R2R finally came together in 2009 thanks to their valiant efforts, as a team coach and P.P.A. (Peer Pressure Administrator -- to get first-timers signed up and excited to run the race, of course)!

I'm honored to be coaching the team for a second time. This year will make me a three-peat R2R member (woohoo!). In terms of experience, I have a weird mix of 45 marathons and ultramarathons under my belt, including a 100-mile run in Vermont to raise $25,000 for the Alzheimer's Association in 2008. I've experimented with barefoot / minimalist running, different footstrikes, various running fuels, handheld water bottle running, etc., so if you have any questions in these areas, I am happy to talk your ear off!

My one piece of advice for a marathon first-timer: don't look ahead to 26.2 in the beginning. Look ahead to your next training run. Complete that, add it to your log, feel good. Another notch on your belt and then it's on to the next training run. You're going to have down days, or days off, and that's okay. Live in the moment. Have fun with the training, fundraising and team building. Don't worry, the race will be waiting for you when the time comes. And if you put in the time, we promise -- you'll be ready for it.

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. 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 seven half marathons. This year, I am beyond honored to be part of the R2R coaching team. I'll be certified by RRCA as a running coach in July. Read more about my adventures at http://meghannonthemove.wordpress.com.

My one piece of advice for a marathon first-timer: “Believe in the training, believe in yourself.”