Aileen Iorio started her running career and the start of her real career at the same time. She went to Hofstra University where she studied to obtain her law degree. A law degree is no joke, she was assigned heavy reading assignments and decided to combine her homework and her workouts. She would bring her text book to the gym and set it on the treadmill and run until she was done reading. Now, graduated from law school and working as an attorney for Queens County she is training for her first marathon.
Running a marathon was something Aileen never saw in her future and she’s come a long way from those treadmill study sessions. When she was a kid a doctor told her she would never be an athlete due to her severe asthma. She has since proven this doctor wrong by playing basketball, field hockey, softball and is now a serious runner. She says that running has even helped her asthma improve. This pushes her to continue on long runs, knowing that running will improve her health in so many different ways. Aileen is also training with her friends which helps her keep motivated in this long training process. She says she’ll be running by herself once the marathon starts but will be meeting them at the finish line to celebrate.
Aileen was inspired to run the NYC marathon specifically because of her grandparents. They ran it together and talked about it since she was a child. She thought there was no better time to do it than right now. She was inspired by Answer the Call’s work after seeing this organization help a friend of hers after her father passed away. She is honored to raise money to support the brave families that Answer the Call serves.
Click here to support Aileen’s marathon campaign!
This interview was conducted by Margaret Coyle, a Summer 2018 Developmental Intern.
