Katarina Markovina ran her first marathon on October 30, 2018 in Suffolk County in just under four hours. Katarina ran in high school and then stopped, but her husband recently encouraged her to start up again. She used to smoke two packs of cigarettes per day for 20 years, but quit about 12 years ago….
Peter Phillips has been running since he was a young kid. He ran track & field in high school and all through his first year of college; normally as a sprinter focusing on the 110 meter hurdle, but he never tried long distance running – until now. This will be Peter’s first time running in…
On June 5, 2019, the New York Police & Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund welcomed almost one thousand families and community members to Citi Field for its 35th Annual Game and Family Day. Guests enjoyed balloons, cotton candy, games, food, and more in Bullpen Plaza before cheering on the Mets against the San Francisco…
We join New York City and our country in mourning the loss of Firefighter Christopher Slutman. This tragedy is a sad reminder of the dangers our first responders face while protecting us both locally and abroad. We send our deepest condolences to Firefighter Slutman‘s family, the families of the other service members who bravely served alongside him, and the entire FDNY…
Samantha Marrone is no stranger to running and started as a cross country runner in middle school. From there she added winter track and it was only a matter of time before she picked up road races in college. She was always an active an athletic kid who enjoyed the competitive nature of pushing herself…
Brendan Dunn started running with his father when he was just a kid; and now he’s running as a member of Team Answer the Call in the 2019 NYC United Half Marathon. This wouldn’t be the first time that he’s run for our organization as he’s also run the NYC marathon for Answer the Call…
Brittany Diamond never really ran before signing up to be on Team Answer the Call for this year’s NYC United Half Marathon; as a matter of fact, she didn’t even start actually running until two days after she registered. In her own words, she’s not a runner at all, and her family and friends are…
Eileen Pape has never really considered herself a “runner”- even though she played sports all through high school and in college, running was never the goal. Over the last few years, she has been taking strides to get healthier and as a result running became the goal She decided she wanted to run in a…
Michelle Newman has been running on and off since college. Although it started as a way for her to exercise, she began to learn that she loves the way running feels – how it clears her head. For Michelle, running has become kind of an addiction, she constantly wants to beat her own records and…
On March 17, 2019, more than 20,000 people will be running the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon. Fifteen of them will be running with the NY Police and Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund on Team Answer the Call. They are running to raise funds and awareness for the families of fallen FDNY, NYPD, and…
William Dawson started running in high school as a means of exercise, and now he’s once again running the NYC Half Marathon for the second time since 2016. This year he’ll be running alongside his fiance, who is also a member of our half marathon team, Katie. William attributes his love of running to the…
Heidi Moody’s sister is a crime analyst for the NYPD and this year they’re running together for the NYC Half Marathon. Although she’s run the half marathon once before, this time around is different due to the weather. Heidi explains, “The struggle this winter is the weather fluctuation and the threat of black ice –…
John Holl comes from a family full of police officers – his father, uncles and all his cousins are on the force – so when the opportunity arose for him to run this year’s NYC Half Marathon for Answer the Call, he knew he had to get involved. While he wouldn’t necessarily call himself a…
Michael Reed spends most of his spare time running. When he started, he would run accompanied by the sound of music – that is until he injured himself in the process. Now, Michael sees music as a distraction from his real focus – running. Michael ran competitively for the first time, two years ago, in…
Katie Knowlton might not be a runner by trade, but when she does run it’s with the purest of intentions. Katie’s first and only other half marathon was two years ago where she ran for another non-profit organization. Before running her previous half marathon she had never run more than three miles in her life….
We join all of New York City in mourning the loss of NYPD Detective Brian Simonsen. Detective Simonsen made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty on Tuesday, February 12 while protecting our city. As a 19 year NYPD veteran, Detective Simonsen’s dedication to the NYPD and commitment to our city was exemplary. _____ We send our sincere condolences to…
