This is a story of nine people who have navigated homelessness, addiction and many other systemic barriers, yet committed themselves to an extraordinary goal before knowing whether they would ever get the chance to see the starting line. Now they’ll cross the finish line.
BACKGROUND
Earlier this year, nine Back on My Feet NYC members committed to train for the TCS New York City Marathon—even though we had only three guaranteed bibs at the time. Without knowing if they’d ultimately receive a bib, they showed up anyway all summer long: Circle Up morning runs three times a week and Saturday long runs as training ramped up. Outside of running, "showing up" also meant continued progress toward employment, housing, and other milestones on each member’s individual path toward independence. While navigating their own personal journeys with recovery and uncertainty about the future, all nine hit every single training goal and trained as a team.
At Back on My Feet, running has never been just about running. Across their individual journeys, Back on My Feet has provided a sense of structure, purpose, and community. This is how running can change lives – this is where the transformation begins. To recognize this opportunity has life-changing significance, we've made the decision to secure bibs for all nine members. This was made possible through our ongoing fundraising efforts and some incredible partner support, and ultimately the generosity of our longtime partner and the event organizer, New York Road Runners.
MEET THE NEW YORK NINE
They are veterans, fathers, teammates, leaders and New Yorkers rebuilding their lives after homelessness and addiction. Most are approaching their first marathon. Some are experienced runners well-versed in the benefits of accomplishing hard goals; many are just newly building resilience and self-confidence through running.
Among the New York Nine is Esteven, who once spent years sleeping on New York City streets and subways and is now working full time, living in his own apartment and serving as a Back on My Feet Team Captain. There’s June, who has logged more than 400 miles during her longest stretch of sobriety while building toward a career helping others in recovery. Timothy, a military veteran who has run more than 250 miles with Back on My Feet this year and returned to his union and full-time work, and Robert, a veteran building a new career while pursuing his CDL.
They’ll line up alongside Romarick, a former heavyweight boxer from Cameroon who has logged more than 500 miles, now working toward his GED and personal training certification. Rody, who has navigated alcoholism and periods of homelessness his whole adult life, has been sober for almost a year and just passed his GED. There’s Rene, currently in training as a metal work tradesman and rebuilding his relationship with his son after battling addiction for almost 40 years; Andres, a returning NYC Marathon finisher who has maintained his sobriety for 3+ years while building stability in work and family; and Luis, a veteran and longtime Back on My Feet alum who has supported our mission for over a decade and will be completing his 10th New York City Marathon this year.
Nine different stories connected by the same belief that the next mile can lead somewhere new. Connected by the same commitment to starting over, accomplishing hard goals, and achieving not just self-sufficiency, but seeking greatness.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
Support the New York Nine through the rest of their training and 26.2 miles on November 1st; and help create more starting lines for Back on My Feet members across the country. Your donation allows us to continue covering the cost of marathon bibs, gear, and training for our members.
As we wrap 2026 marathon season and head into 2027, we hope to extend these opportunities for more members. We truly believe that running can be a catalyst for long-term transformation; our program is built to provide the foundational pillars of community + belonging, discipline + consistency, and confidence + self-belief that running both creates and relies on to be effective.
Your support fuels Back on My Feet’s work helping people break cycles of homelessness and addiction through running, community, employment and essential resources. Every dollar helps turn the momentum built one morning and one mile at a time into opportunities for lasting independence.
