{"id":35527,"date":"2025-11-10T23:35:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T23:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/35527\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T23:35:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T23:35:10","slug":"staten-island-on-the-run-local-running-stalwart-michael-de-vito-jr-running-long-miles-for-the-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/35527\/","title":{"rendered":"Staten Island on the Run: Local running stalwart Michael De Vito Jr. running long miles for the kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Fresh off last week\u2019s successful Staten Island Running\u2019s Association Legends\/Youth Gala, one would think SIRA President Michael De Vito Jr. would be taking a break.<\/p>\n

Far from it!<\/p>\n

De Vito, the Executive Director of The New York Center for Interpersonal Development (NYCID), is currently training for his first ever ultra-marathon, hoping to raise funds for his organization.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s De Vito in his own words:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor those of you who know me or even for those who have only met me once, you know that I have a ton of energy. You might also know or sense that I spend a lot of that energy on helping others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn November 15th, I plan to run 50 miles to raise awareness and resources for the youth and families service by NYCID.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have taken stabs at distances from the mile to the marathon but this represents uncharted territory.<\/p>\n

\u201c(NYCID) is a not-for-profit organization promoting the improvement of human relationships and the strengthening of communities. We provide youth, community, and professional development programs, as well as dispute resolution services that educate and inform the public about constructive problem-solving, effective communication, and intercultural awareness.<\/p>\n

\"NYCID\"New York Center for Interpersonal DevelopmentStaten Island Running Association<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t tell young people they can overcome their barriers, we teach them mindfulness techniques, emotional regulation, and resilience practices that help them see their own capacity for transformation. When a teenager who\u2019s been written off by everyone else finally graduates, they\u2019ve run their own ultra-marathon!<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never attempted anything like this. But that\u2019s exactly the point. This represents the same leap into the unknown that we ask our students to take every day at NYCID. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am asking for your support in the challenge ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NYC Trail Mix 50-mile race winds through remote sections of Staten Island\u2019s Greenbelt starting at 6 a.m.! A great many others and I will traverse technical single track trails, climb steep hills, and navigate historical sites within the nation\u2019s largest city. It\u2019s a journey from darkness to light \u2014 literally and metaphorically.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis race represents everything we teach at NYCID. You start in the dark, you face obstacles you can\u2019t see coming, your mind tells you to quit, but you keep putting one foot in front of the other. You use your breath. You find your resilience. You discover that sunshine beaming from your pocket \u2014 that inner light that\u2019s always available when everything feels impossible.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou discover you are not the drop in the ocean, but rather the ocean in the drop. You are vast. You contain multitudes. You have resources within that you\u2019ve never even accessed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy $50,000 fundraising goal serves dual purposes: supporting NYCID\u2019s programs while raising awareness about our organization\u2019s innovative approach to youth development. In a time when youth mental health challenges are at crisis levels, NYCID\u2019s integration of mindfulness and wellbeing practices offers a proven alternative to traditional intervention models.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re teaching young people that they have the inner resources to overcome whatever they\u2019re facing. This race is my way of demonstrating those same principles in action. <\/p>\n

\"MichaelFormer Memorial Day Champion Michael De Vito.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe physical challenge of 50 miles mirrors the emotional and psychological journey that NYCID students undertake. Both require breaking the challenge into manageable segments, developing mental strategies for difficult moments, and maintaining forward progress even when the destination feels impossibly far away.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether I finish in 9 hours or 12 hours, the real victory is in the attempt. It\u2019s in showing our students that their executive director is willing to step into his own discomfort zone, to practice what we preach about not giving up when things get difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo support my 50-mile challenge for NYCID, visit bit.ly\/NYCID-50Miles<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u201cThank You!\u201d<\/p>\n

Staten Island past and present represented at NYC Marathon finish!<\/p>\n

\"DaveFor the 20th year, Susan Wagner Principal Dave Cugini announced the finish line at last weekend’s NYC Marathon!Staten Island Running Association<\/p>\n

Once again Dave Cugini encouraged thousands at the finish line of the NYC Marathon.<\/p>\n

The Susan Wagner principal was announcing the event for his 20th time, a marathon unto itself!<\/p>\n

NYC Marathon race director Ted Metellus also always keeps the memory of late race start coordinator Vic Navarra alive as well, as he always carries with him Navarra\u2019s FDNY patch with him at the race. <\/p>\n

\u201cVic Navarra was one of the kindest people who was one of a kind,\u201dsaid Metellus. \u201cVic had a passion for the sport but loved what the community running created…I learned the importance of balancing being flexible and finding compromise and being firm but friendly and he would always say \u201dSemper Gumby\u201d — \u201cAlways Flexible\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"TedSILIVE On The Run Columnist joined Tracy Sundlun (center) and NYC Marathon Race Director Ted Metellus in honoring the late race leader Fred Lebow at the World Athletics Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) event in New York City.Staten Island Running Association<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned a lot about the start operations of the marathon from Vic and his wife and partner Joanne as well as their two daughters April and Kristi, but I learned more about working with people and connecting them to the community of running.\u201d<\/p>\n

SITRAC Triple Crown Awards <\/p>\n

\"2025Runners will be honored at the SITRAC Triple Crown Awards event.Staten Island Running Association<\/p>\n

SITRAC will hold this year\u2019s Triple Crown awards on Friday evening, Jan. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.<\/p>\n

It will be held at Lifestyles for the Disabled Education Center located at 884 Target St. In an effort to keep costs down and make it accessible to all, a light dinner will be served at a cost of $30 for adults and $15 for youth through high school. Ticket information will follow.<\/p>\n

Monthly trivia contest sponsored by ASICS & JAMBAR!<\/p>\n

Please submit your answer to my email below. All correct answers will then be put into a lot where two winners will be drawn randomly. One winner receives a pair of ASICS running shoes and the second a free 12 Bar Variety box of JAMBAR<\/a> energy bars.<\/p>\n

Congrats to last month\u2019s winners Ryan Contino (ASICS) and Ronald Meisels (Jambar).<\/p>\n

This month\u2019s question<\/p>\n

This upcoming Tuesday\u2019s Muche Struck Veterans Day 3-Miler (Silver Lake Park — 10 a.m. start) has been around for almost eight decades. Can you name a runner who won it more than once?<\/p>\n

\"PHOTOS:Veterans recognized at the 80th Muche-Struck Veterans Day Run, held at Clove Lakes Park in Sunnyside. November 11, 2021. (Staten Island Advance\/Derek Alvez). <\/p>\n

Good luck and see you all next month. Keep running!<\/p>\n

Questions, comments, upcoming news? Please feel free to email Jeff at rbenja726@aol.com<\/a><\/p>\n

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Fresh off last week\u2019s successful Staten Island Running\u2019s Association Legends\/Youth Gala, one would think…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35528,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-35527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}