The New York City Marathon attracted over 25,000 runners from around the world. Taking place on Nov. 7, this year’s race was memorable: It marked the return of the event after last year’s cancellation due to the pandemic, as well as its 50th year running. 

Among the tens of thousands of runners to participate in this year’s race were three former Fordham students. Getting the chance to run with one another again shaped each of their race day experiences.  

For Kerri Gallagher, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’11, this was the first marathon she had ever attempted. 

Gallagher was a member of both the cross country and track and field team during her time at Fordham. After graduation, Gallagher moved to Washington, D.C. and ran for various professional teams, including Pacers, New Balance and Nike. In 2016, she moved back to the New York City area and accepted her current position as director of cross country and track and field at Manhattan College. 

“We got on the bus together, we were in the corral together and we ran the first nine miles together, so that was pretty special.” Kerri Gallagher, FCRH ’11

For years, Gallagher hoped to run the New York City Marathon. This year, she was given the chance to do so when a spot opened with her hometown running team, the Rockaway Gliders. 

Gallagher said part of what made her experience special was starting the race with her former teammate, Jacqueline Prevete, FCRH ’09. 

“We got on the bus together, we were in the corral together and we ran the first nine miles together, so that was pretty special,” Gallagher said. 

One of Prevete’s favorite parts of race day is the commute to Staten Island prior to the race’s start.

Prevete was also a member of Fordham’s cross country and track and field teams. After graduation, Prevete stayed in the New York City area and went on to attend podiatry school. She now works as a full-time foot specialist. 

Prevete joined the Dashing Whippets running team, an organization that enabled her to run the New York City Marathon in 2019 and again this year. Prevete also ran as a representative of the Katie McBride Foundation, a charity she has supported for previous marathons as well. This was her fifth appearance at the New York City Marathon.

As a long-time New York City marathon runner, Prevete said one of her favorite parts of race day is the commute to Staten Island prior to the race’s start. 

“As you get closer to Manhattan you hear the crowd, just like an echo, and then you get onto First Avenue and it’s insanely crazy. It’s just so loud.” Jacqueline Prevete, FCRH ’09

“The running community is super supportive so everyone that you’re traveling with, whether it be via a ferry or via the bus, everyone has the same excitement and nerves and you hear so many different stories,” Prevete said. 

She especially enjoys mile 14, when runners cross over the Queensboro Bridge and encounter a wave of spectators.

“You’re running over the bridge and it’s super quiet because there’s no spectators allowed,” Prevete said. “Then as you get closer to Manhattan you hear the crowd, just like an echo, and then you get onto First Avenue and it’s insanely crazy. It’s just so loud.” 

Prevete and Gallagher ran into fellow Fordham alumnus Nick Syan, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’13, later on in the race while crossing another bridge. 

“On the bridge two other Fordham track alum also found us, and the four of us were running across the Verrazano (Bridge) together,” Prevete said. “We were Fordham strong on the Verrazano, which was hilarious.” 

Syan was a member of both the track and field and cross country teams while at Fordham as well. 

Today, Syan works on Chipotle’s brand activation team and runs regularly with a club he started on the Upper East Side. 

Syan had run the New York City Marathon previously, first participating in 2013. He said this year’s marathon felt memorable for many runners and New Yorkers, eager for a return to normalcy after a year of lockdowns and other COVID-19-related restrictions. 

“It was kind of a celebratory moment after the rough past two years.” Nick Syan, GSBRH ’13

“I had a feeling going into it that it was going to be special, not just for the runners but I think for the city itself,” Syan said. “It was kind of a celebratory moment after the rough past two years.”

This year’s race was still marked by various health and safety protocols, as all runners needed either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test and were required to be masked in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, among other requirements. 

The reemergence of the marathon was symbolic of a greater return to some of the city’s most popular events. Gallagher said this sense of normalcy was what made the race so special for her and other New Yorkers. 

“Being able to participate in a city experience and just come together with people on that day, I think is almost hitting me more since the race than before,’” Gallagher said. “It was special in the way that it felt normal again.”