A mother and son from East Hampton are set to run the New York City Marathon this weekend.
Maxime Bellenoue, an 18-year-old senior at East Hampton High School, runs cross country and track at school, but this will be his first race over three hours.
“I’m nervous,” said Maxim.
His mother, Danielle Epstein, has only been training for four months. She said it’s been fun running side-by-side many days with her son. She said Maxim has been a good motivator.
The mother and son say they aren’t doing it to set any personal records – they are doing it for husband/dad Nick Epstein, who is battling esophageal cancer.
They say between chemo and hospital stays, his fight has been a marathon, too.
“It’s he who drives me. What he’s going through is incredibly challenging for him. And so hopefully I will feel a fraction of his pain and take it away,” said Maxim.
That’s why they are running for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. They are part of a group of 1,200 runners known as “Fred’s Team” who are all raising money for Sloan Kettering. Maxim and Danielle initially set a goal of $12,000 but have already exceeded it.
Danielle says she looks forward to running back Sloan Kettering Hospital on First Avenue and seeing everyone cheering them on. They also know Nick will be rooting for them too.
“This act of running is my way of showing love to him,” says Maxime.