New York Road Runners Reveals 26 Most Compelling 2025 TCS New York City Marathon Athletes—Team Inspire

New York, October 6, 2025 – New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit that “runs” New York City producing 60 annual adult and youth races including the TCS New York City Marathon—the best day of the year, in the best city in the world—today revealed the 26 members of Team Inspire, a diverse group of marathon athletes with the most compelling stories. Unveiled about 26 days ahead of the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon, each Team Inspire member represents one mile of the iconic 26.2-mile race.

Team Inspire is a snapshot of the 55,000+ TCS New York City Marathon field and embodies the spirit, heart, and energy of New York City, with each athlete profoundly impacted by the transformative power of running. This year’s roster includes first-time marathoners, seasoned veterans, charity runners putting purpose behind their miles, final finishers, and New York Road Runners program participants. They vary in age, gender, hometown, pace, and background, representing the inclusive and inspiring nature of the TCS New York City Marathon.

“Every year, New York Road Runners brings out the best of humanity with the TCS New York City Marathon,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, New York Road Runners CEO. “Team Inspire reflects the very essence of the best day of the year, in the best city in the world, and we’re proud to celebrate each athlete’s journey and the inspiration they bring to millions across New York City and around the world.”

Taking place Sunday, Nov. 2, the TCS New York City Marathon is one of the most inclusive and accessible sporting events in the world, with more than 55,000 athletes running the same course on the same day—from the first to the final finisher—and two million spectators lining the streets of New York City. Last year’s race set an event record with 55,642 finishers, which at the time was the largest marathon in world history.

To celebrate the announcement of this year’s Team Inspire cohort, New York Road Runners will host a panel with select New York City–based members of Team Inspire at the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub Monday, Oct. 6.

Team Inspire members for the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon:

• Dr. Ayo Akinmoladun, Philadelphia – A kindergarten through eighth grade principal running the TCS New York City Marathon with Team TCS Teachers, Ayo started running a mile every day for a month after his mother passed in 2023. Later that year, he completed his first marathon and is now on a quest to complete all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors, while encouraging and empowering his students to improve.
• Karen Bdera, Queens, N.Y. – Karen discovered running after seeing a bus sign in 1984 that said, “Who says women can’t run the world.” Since then, she’s completed more than 700 New York Road Runners races and will run her 25th TCS New York City Marathon this year. Karen met her husband volunteering at an NYRR race and regularly participates in NYRR Open Run at Astoria Park.
• Hardee Bhavsar, Jersey City, N.J. – During the COVID-19 pandemic, while she was in college, Hardee was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. To help end the stigma surrounding sickness in her South Asian community, she started a support group at Rutgers University for other students with cancer. Now five years in remission, Hardee will run her first marathon with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
• Amy Cohen, Boston – While many patients with sickle cell disease are told not to exercise because it can trigger the disease’s hallmark pain crises, which typically require hospitalization, Amy was encouraged from a young age to stay active. Running has given her a sense of autonomy, and she will run her first marathon alongside her medical exercise specialist trainer from Massachusetts General Hospital while spreading awareness about sickle cell disease.
• Kelley Devincentis, Wayne, N.J. – At age 16 Kelley was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis (MG), a neuromuscular disease, and lost her ability to walk, talk, swallow, and breathe. Told at 17 to “accept her fate,” she created a bucket list that included running a marathon. With $100 of her own money, Kelley launched the first MG Walk, which has since grown into a national initiative, raising more than $600,000. Now 52, Kelley will fulfill that long-standing bucket list goal and run her first TCS New York City Marathon.
• Tristan Espinoza, Washington, D.C. – Growing up in a rural, conservative town, Tristan often felt isolated by a community that didn’t reflect his Osage roots or understand his identity as a queer person. When he went to college, he was brutally assaulted during his freshman year. With the help of Sanctuary for Families, a nonprofit that supports domestic violence survivors, Tristan reclaimed his voice and has since worked with tribal nations and the federal government to uplift Native youth. He is running his first marathon on behalf of Sanctuary for Families, the organization that saved his life.
• Martinus Evans, Atlanta – Martinus is an award-winning motivational speaker, eight-time marathoner, bestselling author of “Slow AF Run Club: The Ultimate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Run,” and founder of the Slow AF Run Club, a virtual community with over 40,000 members. He is a proud back-of-the-pack runner and is featured in New York Road Runners’ “Final Finishers” documentary short film.
• George Gallego, New York – Suffering an injury at work in his early 20s that paralyzed him from the waist down, George struggled with his mental and physical health for years. With a push from his daughter, he discovered a community of athletes with disabilities and founded Axis Project, a gym and training space for people with physical disabilities to be active. George is running the TCS New York City Marathon to raise money for Axis Project to find a new home.
• Natalie Hall, Buckinghamshire, England – Living with incurable Stage 4 breast cancer, Natalie has become a leading advocate for the power of exercise in cancer treatment. She is currently on chemotherapy and often runs to her sessions. Natalie has chosen to raise money and awareness for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity who saved her life and her nonprofit Fireflies Fitness which provides vital exercise support for the cancer community.
• Liz Healy, New York – Every year since a skiing accident led to a Stage 4 colorectal cancer and Stage 2 kidney cancer diagnosis in 2022, Liz has run the TCS New York City Marathon with Fred’s Team while in chemotherapy and radiation treatment to show gratitude for the medical teams at MSK saving her life. She is a global advocate for colorectal cancer and lifesaving screenings. This year she has recruited a growing team of friends, nurses, and patients to turn pain into purpose and will run alongside 19 members of “Team Check Your Colon” with the goal of raising $100,000 for Fred’s Team to support the cancer research her life depends on.
• Koichi Kitabatake, Kanagawa, Japan – The oldest registered athlete in the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon field at 91 years old, Koichi is participating in the AbbottWMM MTT Age Group World Championships. When he was 80, he won the men’s 80+ category and hopes to achieve the same success this year.
• Relly Ladner, New York – Relly grew up in Vienna, Austria, where her love of sport began while playing on boys’ soccer teams. While in high school, she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, became paralyzed from the waist down, and was told she might never walk again. She defied the odds and went on to play Division I soccer at Dartmouth College. Running has become her new passion, and Relly will run the TCS New York City Marathon with Grassroot Soccer, a youth health organization.
• Henry Lliguicota-Lema, Hawthorne, Calif. – As a child, Henry and his mother fled domestic violence and spent years in shelters. In college, he sought therapy for the first time, an experience that transformed his life and ignited his passion to break the stigma around mental health among men and the Latino community. He will run his first marathon with mental health nonprofit Minding Your Mind.
• Evan Mansfield, Fairfield, Conn. – Evan was diagnosed with autism at age 2 and was non-verbal until age 6. Through intensive therapy, unrelenting determination, and the steadfast support of his mother, he transitioned into mainstream education and became the first person in his family to attend college. He’s running the TCS New York City Marathon with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network to honor his mother’s advocacy and to give back to the community that shaped him.
• Tasha Moses, Ocala, Fla. – After suffering a ruptured brain aneurysm in 2012 while hospitalized for Crohn’s disease, Tasha lost her sight and mobility. After years of therapy and surgeries, she relearned to walk and began daily walks on a memorized one-mile route. She later joined Achilles International, a leading adaptive nonprofit, and will run the TCS New York City Marathon with the support of a guide runner.
• Sheck Mulbah, Bronx, N.Y. – Sheck was laid off from his job in 2022 and struggled with unemployment, depression, and health issues, as his weight climbed to 300 pounds and his A1C levels were dangerously high. One day, his mom bought him a pair of running shoes and he ran his first-ever mile. Over time, he lost more than 100 pounds, and joined multiple run clubs, including the Bronx Burners, Harlem Run, and Stamford Runners of NYC. He will now run his first marathon as a message to Black and brown runners and kids in bigger bodies that running also belongs to them.
• Joy Nichols, Portland, Ore. – In 2011, Joy became a victim of accidental gun violence when a friend’s boyfriend accidentally set off his gun and shot her in the leg, leaving her with a shattered femur, severe nerve damage, and a severed femoral artery. An avid marathon runner and critical care nurse, she was suddenly robbed of her physical autonomy and forced to give up her dream of running the 2011 New York City Marathon. Fourteen years later she is preparing to run the TCS New York City Marathon with March For Our Lives.
• Madeline Poranski, San Diego – Madeline was born with cystic fibrosis and spent much of her young adulthood in and out of hospitals, enduring countless treatments and setbacks. In 2020, she received a double lung transplant and despite being told by a doctor that she would “never run a marathon,” Madeline is running the TCS New York City Marathon with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Breathe Team to mark her five-year transplant anniversary.
• Sal Raffucci, Brooklyn, N.Y. – A member of NYRR Striders, a free fitness program for older adults, Sal is in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and credits Striders with helping him maintain his sobriety. He walks at least 10,000 steps a day and feels running and walking have greatly improved his mental and physical health.
• Tanya Ravichandran, Brooklyn, N.Y. – Tanya is a slow-fashion influencer who is passionate about sustainability and views running as an act of gratitude toward the Earth for sustaining movement and life. She is running with NYRR Team for Climate, a group of runners fundraising for New York Road Runners’ sustainability initiatives.
• Sophie Scott, Dana Point, Calif. – Born deaf, Sophie grew up loving sports like cheerleading, dance, soccer, and track, but she struggled to keep up with music, whistles, and starting guns. In her adulthood Sophie discovered the freedom of running, the first sport where she didn’t feel limited. She’s now running her first TCS New York City Marathon with the Center of Hearing and Communication to celebrate how far she’s come.
• Yelena Shtrykalo, Brooklyn, N.Y. – Yelena began running at the end of a difficult battle with postpartum depression and this year has overcome multiple challenges, including a diagnosis of a cesarean section scar defect causing secondary infertility, IVF treatments, and a surgery in August. She is a district coordinator for seven public middle schools in Brooklyn that are part of New York Road Runners’ initiative to launch and expand middle school running programs, and often runs with other educators.
• Lisa Swan, Staten Island, N.Y. – Once a self-described “obese couch potato” Lisa took up running to lose weight in 2013, which completely transformed her life. She’s since lost more than 50 pounds and has run 640+ races, including 18 marathons, 50+ half marathons, and four triathlons. She is a member of the Staten Island Athletic Club, a participant of the NYRR Race Free program, and will run her ninth TCS New York City Marathon in November.
• Ali Truwit, New York – Ten days before losing her leg in a shark attack, Ali ran her first marathon with her mom to celebrate her college graduation. After the attack, she joked, “At least I got my marathon in before this.” One of the first responders promised she would run another one. This November, Ali will take on her second marathon—this time with a running blade—after showing the world what she’s capable of during the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, where she won two swimming medals for Team USA. Joining Ali for the TCS New York City Marathon will be a large support group including her mom, dad, college swimming teammates, one of whom was in the water with her during the attack and tied the tourniquet to save her life and another who was a doctor at the trauma hospital where she was treated. She is running in support of her charity Stronger Than You Think.
• Richard Whitehead, Nottingham, England – A double through-knee congenital amputee and Paralympic medalist, Richard developed a passion for sport at an early age with the encouragement of his parents. In January, he set out to run 20 marathons around the world in one year to bring his marathon total to 100. He will conclude the epic challenge at the TCS New York City Marathon.
• Ceil Witherspoon, Queens, N.Y. – A lifelong New Yorker and Queens resident, Ceil is running her fifth TCS New York City Marathon to support City Harvest, an organization that provides free, nutritious food to those in need. Ceil grew up watching the New York City Marathon, but never thought she’d be a runner, as she suffered from asthma. After being hospitalized for asthma, she was told to change her diet and relied on City Harvest’s services. Going from recipient to volunteer, Ceil took up running, fueled by her lived experience of hunger. Often a final finisher, she runs to ensure others don’t face hunger.
  

  About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

  A New York City-based nonprofit, New York Road Runners’ vision is to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running – serving nearly a half a million people annually through its races, free community events, youth running initiatives, and school-based programs across the five boroughs. During its nearly 70 years, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, producing more than 60 adult and youth races each year, including the TCS New York City Marathon. Held the first Sunday each November, the TCS New York City Marathon features more than 50,000 runners—from the world’s best professional athletes to a vast range of runners across experience levels, ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.