Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

In the Spotlight

CF Patient & Manhattan GREAT STRIDES Team Leader completes the San Diego Marathon

Spotlight- SD Marathon

“All my life I’ve been told I wasn’t going to be able to do certain things because I had CF. I just like to go out and prove people wrong. That people with CF can do anything they put their mind to.” Says Stephen, a twenty-four year old St. Vincent’s CF Center patient.

On June 1, 2008, Steve did just that. Crossing the finish line at the San Diego Marathon in a time of 4 hours and 45 minutes , he proved that he could far exceed expectations. This achievement came much to the surprised delight of his family and friends, whom he confesses thought he was a bit ‘crazy’ when they first heard of his dream to run a marathon.

Stephen is careful to note that he doesn’t consider himself a runner. Rather, he sees himself as an athlete who decided to run a marathon. He has always been interested in being active and being outdoors. He enjoys biking, spending time in the park, going to the beach, golfing, anything on the water. And Stephen is a huge fan of soccer, having played it competitively for many years, including during his undergraduate studies at Ithaca College.

About the inspiration to run the San Diego marathon, Steve simply explains, “Last summer I picked up and ran a half marathon and decided a wanted to run a full one. Honestly, it’s just my competitive nature and always wanting to challenge myself that drove me to want to complete a marathon.”

With the steadfast support of his family and friends, Steve began working toward that goal by training twice a week with Emily Kritzler, the CF Center’s Exercise Physiologist. “Emily came up with a pretty intense training regimen for me to follow. Without her, I don’t think I would have been as prepared as I was,” Steve notes.

Stephen characterizes the race as a “lovely 26.2 mile stroll through the city.” In his own words, he describes the build up to the race, his experiences in the moment as he was running and the triumph he felt at its completion:

“The week leading up to the race, I had that nervous/anxious/excitement feeling I used to get before big soccer games. I knew I was physically ready and I was just counting down the days until the run.

During the run I felt great up until mile 16. I was coasting at an 8 minute mile pace and was just over two hours when we reached mile 16 and then my legs just gave out. I think I underestimated the San Diego heat and strength of the sun. I stopped for about 15 minutes, drank around 10 bottles of Gatorade, slowed my pace, and finished. At that point, I was a little frustrated because I had worked so hard in training, but at the same time I just wanted to finish. I was running with a friend and she looked at me like I was crazy. She said, “Steve, you know you’re amazing. How many people with CF can finish a marathon?” I knew she was right, but I was still frustrated.

After the race was probably the best feeling I’ve ever had. The sense of accomplishment when you cross the finish line is something I don’t think I’ve ever experienced or can fully explain in words. Knowing that so much went into me finishing the race and then crossing the line, getting the medal, drinking a beer was just amazing!”

Stephen works in New York City at a Healthcare Advertising agency. His next goal personal fitness goal is to run the Philadelphia marathon on November 23, 2008 in 3 hours 45 minutes!