So Proud to be a DetermiNator

I don’t even have words to express how amazing my team of DetermiNators is. So I’lm going to borrow some other people’s words.

My teammate Vishal posted on his Facebook wall:
Overwhelmed and overjoyed by the generosity, energy and love of my running teammates. Somehow they are even better people than I thought they were before. I will remember this day forever for an entirely different reason.

This was what was posted on DetermiNation’s page:
What is DetermiNation?

- 16 athletes that are running 26.2 miles in Prospect Park Brooklyn this morning - some running 26.2 miles for the first time. In addition to raising money for ACS, they have raised over $8000 and counting in a little more than 24 hours for the Red Cross. - We had volunteers and athletes donate 6 carloads of goods and $500 more that will be donated to the Red Cross fund set up by our Brooklyn folks at Hope Lodge. The goods are being brought out to Breezy Point and the Rockaways as we speak. - We have a crew of 40 atheletes, coaches and mentors out on the far part of Staten Island helping with clean up efforts. - We have raised nearly $1.3 Million Dollars for the ACS

That is what DetermiNation is. We are the embodiment of the spirit of the marathon. Thank you to each of our volunteers, athletes and supporters for an UNFORGETTABLE Marathon weekend. You are beyond Finishers and you DEFINE DetermiNation.



I was with the group that headed out to Staten Island. It felt like a totally different world. Parts of it looked like a third world country. There was debris in the streets. Fences had fallen over. The foundation of one house was about 20 feet from where the house was now sitting. Another house by the marsh was literally swallowed by the marsh. The foundation sank and all you could see now was the roof.

We broke up into teams and headed out to see what we could do. We came across a woman who needed help clearing out her basement. Four of her neighbors were helping her out, but it was slow moving, so we came in to help. In about an hour and a half or two hours, we cleared out her giant TV, mattress, headboard, chest of drawers, china cabinet and all of her knick knacks from the basement. Much of the larger furniture had to be demoed to be removed, and almost everything else had to be thrown away. There was no power and smell of mold was overwhelming. But we worked together and worked quickly. By lunchtime, everything was out so she could begin clean up. She was overwhelmed and had hugs for everyone.

After lunch we helped a man clear some of the reeds out of his yard. This was a little less rewarding because there was so much more to be done. The man couldn’t get to his backyard because the reeds were blocking his gate. We cleared some of them out, but we needed more help.

The most amazing thing about the day was the sheer amount of help that was being offered. The streets were filled with volunteers. Some were cooking food and handing it out to residents and volunteers. Some were handing out water and cleaning supplies. But there were volunteers helping out EVERYWHERE. Most of them were runners. I was upset at all the negativity that was thrown at the runners regarding the marathon. I’m happy to see that, despite their disappointment, they turned this day into something extremely positive. I couldn’t be prouder to be a runner and a DetermiNator. This is what we’re all about.