All marathon runners have a huge goal they share, however, one runner has that goal x 50. Jackie Lockwood has a mission to run a marathon in every state totaling 1,310 miles! Jackie started racing only 4 years ago and has thus far completed 7 marathons. She has checked off Rhode Island, New Jersey, Vermont,…
Matthew was always fascinated by Police Officers, viewing them as superheroes, people who can do it all. It was always his dream to join these superheroes and this dream became reality only two months after graduating college. Matthew Doherty is now a detective for the New York City Police Department. He has had the pleasure…
What better way to celebrate living quarter of a century than completing a goal of running your first full marathon? At least that’s what Kelly LaForgia thinks! At 25 years old she considers herself a lifetime avid, completing various half marathons over the years. She’s now ready to take on a greater challenge. Since she…
For 11 years Kathryn volunteered in Chappaqua, New York as a firefighter. It was there where she met and fell in love with her husband! He is still active today and is the former chief. Her time in the Chappaqua Fire Department showed her how incredible the FDNY, NYPD, PAPD and all other emergency service…
Growing up on Staten Island Matthew was always athletic but never very interested in running. It wasn’t until after graduating college, when he no longer had the lacrosse team to keep him busy, that his interest in running really started to form. From there he worked his way up race difficulty levels to run his first NYC…
Melissa is running the NYC marathon in honor of her father, James Halversen. James started his career as an FDNY firefighter in 1992 and served until he passed away in 1997. Since then Melissa and her family have stayed close to the FDNY as a fire family. She wants the people of other fallen first…
Tom Lucchesi started his first responder career as a Police Officer for four years before switching to his current profession as a firefighter with the City of Newburgh Fire Department. He has been a firefighter for the past 12 years. This is Tom’s first marathon and he thinks of it as a bucket list…
Nichole Smith is a daughter, niece and wife of first responders all over the country. She recently moved from Seattle with her husband to New York where her husband will be joining the law enforcement community. Her husband’s Aunt, Moria Smith was in the NYPD. Moira Smith was the only female NYPD officer to make…
Megan Breen is a police officer in Yonkers, NY that is currently assigned to the motorcycle unit and has been running since her high school days. Back then she used to run at night to relieve stress and to clear her head, it was a way for her to escape and provided her with time…
Growing up playing sports where running is involved, Micaela was always running but only for short distances. The mere thought of long distance runs intimidated her and it was not until recently that she began to find running enjoyable. After several weeks of training she found running not only enjoyable but also as a way…
After taking up running casually in college, Kristie Deptula has pushed herself harder and to greater heights. A decade later, she has run in 5ks, 10ks and half marathons. Kristie does her best to run at least one half marathon a year, and almost always for a cause. Running for something she believes in gives…
How long have you been running and how has training been going for you? I’ve always had an active lifestyle; I competed in multiple sports from childhood through high school and have ran multiple 5k’s and other types of races. Training has been going very well; I’ve kept to a strict schedule and feel ready…
Damon Willens has been a Reserve Police Officer for the Los Angeles Police Department since 1996. A serious runner in high school and college, he took a lengthy break from the sport after the birth of his daughter in 2006. He began running again in 2012, and has since become competitive in his age group….
Running for a little over three years, Kate Morley, the daughter of a firefighter, has completed numerous 5k, 10k and 15k races and is practically always in training. She has completed three half marathons and this will be her first marathon. Training has been going well for her and she is focused on just finishing…
What inspired you to take part in the Marathon on team Answer the Call? I joined team Answer the Call in honor of my father in law, he was killed in the World Trade Center while working for FDNY Rescue 3, as well as for the co-workers my dad lost on that day while working…
What got you started as a runner? I’ve always run but typically for short distances, usually no more than three miles. Late last year I decided that I wanted to challenge myself by tackling long distances for various charitable causes. This is my last and longest run planned. Is running a marathon something that you…
As someone who has always been into fitness and healthy lifestyles, Ryan Holgan was always meant to run. Once Ryan graduated from college he worked a desk job for 12 hours a day, and could not find much opportunity to exercise his body. So he began running in his spare time and has been increasing his…
Involved in sports since a young age and a soccer player in college, Katelynn has been running since after her college days and has taken part in numerous half marathons, before recently deciding it was time to take part in a full marathon. Growing up, Katelynn and her father shared a love of sports, in…
At the young age of 17, Matthew Carey got involved with the firefighter program at the town he grew up in. Today he maintains the position as Search Manager in the New Jersey’s Urban Search and Rescue Team, which is a division of the New Jersey State Police Homeland Security Branch. Besides being a member…
For the past three years, David Kilsheimer and his wife Eve have been involved with the Benefit Fund in several ways. From joining us for events such as the Kickoff to the gift-wrapping drive, they have dedicated their efforts to Answer the Call. Running the NYC Marathon will not only fulfill one of David’s dreams…
