A MESSAGE FROM Ilan
Hello, my name is Ilan Gmach, and I am asking for you to support me in the 2023 NYC Marathon. I am raising money for Transportation Alternatives (TA), an organization that advocates for cyclist and pedestrian rights in NYC, and works to create safer, more sustainable and equitable streets for all (and I actually interned for them in high school). I am excited to run, and I am excited to raise money for TA.
Growing up in New York, I have seen the marathon almost every year of my life. But for a long time, I was very much not a runner, so it never occurred to me that I might participate in it one day. I “joined” the cross-country team in high school, but it was really just to get a waiver so I didn’t have to go to gym class because it was apparently super uncool in my high school to have to go to gym class. I started running by choice for the first time in college, but that was mainly just because it seemed like that’s what people did. College is a time where you notice other people “being adults” around you, so you try to copy them. The people who seemed to have their acts together were going on runs, so I figured I should probably go on some runs. But still, it wasn’t something I was very passionate about, and it certainly wasn’t something I wanted to do for 26.2 miles in a row.
Enter senior year of college. My friend John Ellison Buchanan III (he’s not technically the third because his dad and grandpa have different middle names, but it packs more of a punch to add the “III”) convinced me to sign up for a half marathon with him. After a couple weeks of training, I noticed myself getting into better running shape for the first time in my life. The five mile runs that had nearly killed me a week earlier were suddenly…easy. And that felt f*cking awesome. From that moment, I was hooked….I’m just kidding. “Hooked” is a stretch. But that was the first time in my life that I liked running. I ran that half marathon in college, and running has been a consistent part of my life ever since. I have run two more half marathons, and I am excited to start training for my first full marathon.
However, I am not just running - I am raising money for TA. If you know me, you know I like biking. A lot. It is my main mode of transportation for getting around Brooklyn. Everywhere in Brooklyn is a 25-40 minutes by train, $20+ by Uber, or 15-30 minutes by bike (I admit this is a slight exaggeration). So why wouldn’t you bike everywhere? It’s faster, cheaper, and more fun. When I talk to people about this, one of the most common reasons I hear is that people don’t feel comfortable biking so close to cars. This is totally fair. Cars are nuts. They do ridiculously unpredictable things, and the stakes for them are a $200 scratch on the side of their door. The stakes for a biker is your life. I understand not wanting to roll those dice. I am fundraising for TA to contribute to safer streets so that more people can enjoy biking around this city as much as I do.
There it is. I have laid my heart on the line for you. All I have left to say is….I would really appreciate your support. Thank you.
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