Category: Running/Marathons

My Marathon Sermon 2026

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Each year I serve as the Co-Chaplain for the Religious Services start of the New York City Marathon.

I no longer run the race. (I ran NYC 12 times and completed 27 marathons in my running “career.”) Still, I return to Staten Island to be present at the start to to share God’s love, and to talk and pray with the runners who attend our services.

This morning I helped to officiate five different services. I miss the big race. It still holds a special place in my heart, but I am also glad to be able to inspire the runners before they embark on their own 26.2 mile journeys.

The following is my sermon from this year:

NYC Marathon Sermon 2026

Today is a glorious day, one of the best of the entire year, we are at the start of the greatest race and were are in the greatest city in the world. 

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8 Miles? That’s Dopey!

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When I ran the WDW Marathon on January 12, 2025, I knew that was going to be the last time that I would cover the 26.2 mile distance. It was my 27th marathon and it was coming as the last leg in the Dopey Challenge – an endurance event I wanted and needed to accomplish to put a capstone on my marathon “career.”

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A Fun List of Great Songs

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I listen to a lot of music when I exercise.

While riding my exercise bike the other day, I heard a song that I especially enjoyed and started to think about my favorite songs from many various musical artists.  (It is good to distract one’s mind during long workouts.)

After the workout, I began to create this list of my favorite songs from a host of musical groups and artists.  It was an interesting exercise as I thought about songs and artists. 

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Random & Important Thoughts

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I have a bunch of scattered thoughts to share. These will come in no particular order.

My treadmill is basically broken. I can run on it in a pinch, but it skips a bit and makes a loud bang every few steps making it very hard to maintain any type of pace or focus. I have had this treadmill for at least a decade. I have run thousands and thousands (I’m thinking at least 10,000) miles on it. It owes me nothing. I wanted to run today, but it’s cold and snowing… so I went outside anyway.

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My NYC Marathon Sermon 2025

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Even though I don’t run marathons any longer, this morning I gave back to the people, the race, and the city I love my serving as the co-chaplain at the religious service tent. It was a glorious day for the runners.

Here is the sermon I delivered at all of the services:

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CRUSHING The Long Run!

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17.5 miles. Yes, you read that correctly. 17.5 miles. A great 17.5 mile run!!!

The long run was CRUSHED!

The long run was DESTROYED!

The long run was CONQUERED!

The man Is MARATHON READY! OH YEAH!

No, not me. I covered the distance, yes, but I didn’t run that far. It wasn’t me. It was Alex!

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Did It Break Me?

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August 7, 2025

Running has been a bit of a struggle for me this summer. My longest run was seven miles. I most frequently run only three to four miles. A five-mile run (which I did this morning) is a long run for me these days.

My last big race, the Walt Disney World Marathon, (in January of this year) came as the last leg of the Dopey Challenge, a series of four races, each a bit longer than the one previous, over four days. (A 5k, followed by a 10k, followed by a half-marathon, followed by the full marathon – 48.6 miles in total.)

That marathon, the 27th of my “career,” was the last marathon I’ll ever run.

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