Tom Murray is excited to take on his first marathon with Team Answer the Call!
Tom’s connection to the cause runs deep—his father is a former NYPD police officer, and Tom knows how fortunate he is to still have him here today. “Others are not as lucky,” he says. “This is a great cause, and I want to help those who are already going through so much.” Running in support of the families of fallen first responders holds a special meaning for him. He discovered Answer the Call after a coworker hosted a bowling fundraiser for the organization. Tom decided to look into it further and was impressed by the mission and impact. As the son of a retired NYPD officer, it was a cause that immediately resonated with him.
Tom began running in 2023, a few years after graduating college. What started as casual jogging turned into something more serious when his girlfriend and a few friends encouraged train more seriously and consider racing. He ran the Central Park Half Marathon in 2024, and is now preparing for 26.2 miles in the TCS New York City Marathon.
Tom finds that running offers the perfect mix of a physical and mental challenge. Still, consistency can be tough. Long days at work or bad weather make it tempting to skip a run, but he knows that small obstacles can easily derail progress. “You have to keep pushing yourself through them,” he says.
He’ll be running the marathon solo, drawing inspiration from the famous speech “Citizenship in a Republic” by Teddy Roosevelt, more popularly known as “The Man in the Arena.”
In this speech, Roosevelt states, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
This is a mindset Tom carries with him on tough days. When he feels like giving up during a long run, he tells himself to take it one step at a time. “Give it another minute,” he says. “People are facing way bigger issues than I am in that moment.”
Outside of training, Tom enjoys spending time with friends and family, who have been a huge emotional support system for him. He also loves music, reading, and going to concerts. His favorite show was seeing Dead and Company perform in Philadelphia. On his runs, Tom sometimes zones out to long, extended tracks and is still deciding whether he will wear headphones during the marathon. He has heard that the energy of the crowd can be enough to carry you through. After a race, his go-to meal is Chipotle, and he always orders the carnitas.
To the families served by Answer the Call, Tom shares: “My heart goes out to you. This is such a great cause. Putting myself through a few hours of struggle is nothing compared to what you have faced. I’m proud to be running for you.” We are proud to have Tom on Team Answer the Call and look forward to cheering him on in his first marathon!
Click here to support Tom’s fundraising efforts!
Answer the Call’s 2025 Summer Intern, Michael Mauro, conducted this interview and wrote this blog post.
