{"id":5323,"date":"2025-10-16T19:22:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T19:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/5323\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T19:22:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T19:22:07","slug":"nyc-marathon-2025-staten-islander-lisa-swan-set-to-represent-nyrrs-team-inspire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/5323\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC Marathon 2025: Staten Islander Lisa Swan set to represent NYRR\u2019s Team Inspire"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.\u2014 Borough resident Lisa Swan has participated in countless races since beginning her running journey, but the upcoming New York City Marathon may be her most special yet as she\u2019s been named to run for NYRR\u2019s Team Inspire<\/a>, a select group of runners chosen for their powerful, inspirational stories.<\/p>\n

Comprising 26 runners \u2014 one for each mile of the marathon \u2014 NYRR selected individuals who have been \u201cprofoundly impacted by the transformative power of running,\u201d and Swan certainly fits that description, having experienced significant physical and mental benefits since becoming a regular runner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started running when I was 46 and had never run a single mile,\u201d Swan began.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very heavy, a couch potato. I thought that, \u2018I need to do something. I need to lose weight. I\u2019m getting tired just going to get the bus or climbing up the subway stairs.\u2019 That was in 2013, and I\u2019ve never stopped. Since 2017, I\u2019ve done over 50 races a year,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

While Swan is now a seasoned veteran of the New York running circuit, she credits her early experiences in local Staten Island races as the starting point of her beloved pastime.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing I ever did athletically was racing the Staten Island Athletic Club\u2019s Fun Run; I walked it and it was hard, but I thought, \u2018I\u2019m really enjoying this\u2019; it was exhilarating,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n

Swan also credited Staten Island Athletic Club stalwart Mario Ricca Jr., who coached her and gave her the confidence to run her first marathon \u2014 someone she described as a true mentor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was recovering from an injury and saw me in the back of the pack during a Fun Run,\u201d she said. \u201cHe liked my determination, so he helped me come up with a plan for half marathons. In 2016, I found out that I was going to get to run a marathon; I remember calling him and asking, \u2018Do you think I can do this?\u2019 He said, \u2018If you follow my training plan, you can.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe definitely helped me finish. He created a great training plan for my first race, which gave me a lot of confidence for my first marathon. He\u2019s still out there helping other runners, so he definitely deserves a lot of credit,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n

In addition to the tremendous support Swan has received from the Staten Island community throughout her running journey, she says representing Team Inspire this November has helped her realize she\u2019ll be part of a greater whole.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something that\u2019s bigger than myself,\u201d Swan said humbly.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, Team Inspire is also just a snapshot of all the athletes running the marathon who have their own great stories. I\u2019ve met about seven or eight members of the Team so far and they\u2019re all really great,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

\"StatenStaten Island resident Lisa Swan will be racing the NYC Marathon yet again as a part of NYRR’s Team Inspire.Lisa Swan<\/p>\n

In addition to the honor of embodying the Team\u2019s core philosophies, Swan is also excited about the added bonus of an earlier start time \u2014 a first for her in marathon events.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I started, I have never finished the New York City Marathon in daylight; it\u2019s going to be a very different experience. I\u2019m also excited to see the crowds, since most people only cheer near the start, and I\u2019ve never had the chance to witness that before,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely going to give me a little bit more adrenaline with being part of this; I always hear First Avenue gets to be like Beatlemania for the earlier waves,\u201d she added with a laugh. <\/p>\n

Most importantly, Swan reflected that even before she could complete a full Fun Run \u2014 let alone a marathon \u2014 every running community she\u2019s joined has made her feel welcome. She hopes her story will inspire others considering becoming more active.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never felt like I don\u2019t belong when I\u2019ve done a race,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t feel you have to be fast or young to race; there are always going to be other people who are just getting started, so just get out there and see what you\u2019re able to do,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n

Catch Swan and all the other members of Team Inspire when the NYC Marathon gets underway on Nov. 2; you can watch on WABC-TV, Channel 7 from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET.<\/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.\u2014 Borough resident Lisa Swan has participated in countless races since beginning her running journey, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5324,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-5323","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\/5323","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=5323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}