Team Catholic Charities Races to Fund Another ‘Marathon’

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Susan Salice spent much of Marathon Sunday Nov. 2 going from point to point along the route to keep tabs on Team Catholic Charities. The 12 runners representing Catholic Charities in the New York City Marathon each completed the five-borough, 26.2-mile course but more importantly the team raised $72,688 and counting for Catholic Charities’ St. Nicholas Project.

That means in a few weeks, Dec. 13, another Catholic Charities team will join in a shopping marathon at the Kmart in Astor Place to purchase coats, hats, scarves, sweaters, warm pajamas and other items for some of New York’s most vulnerable families.

For Ms. Salice, who sits on the Catholic Charities Board of Trustees and came up with the idea of entering a Catholic Charities team in the New York City Marathon, which this year attracted more than 50,000 participants, it was a win-win proposition.

“It was just an amazing day. Everyone finished,” she beamed. “I actually went into the city around 10:30 a.m. yesterday and stopped down at the finish line to check things out there and then I took the subway up to Harlem to our cheer zone and watched people come through. Hopefully they heard somebody call their names and they knew we were there. I was on-site for a number of hours but then when I got home continued to track them online. And you don’t rest until the last one crosses over. Our last runner finished at about 5:45.”

This was the largest Catholic Charities contingent yet to compete in the Marathon, and the third year Catholic Charities has taken part. Last year 10 runners participated and they all finished, too. This year Catholic Charities was once again allotted 10 places but appealed and was ultimately allowed two more entries. Ms. Salice says more runners are always welcome.

“The marathon is a premier event in New York and I was aware that it had a charity angle to it. People are interested in running and what greater opportunity than to raise money for a charity that does such great work?” she noted. “And Catholic Charities is such a prominent social services provider in New York City and a premier organization in so many ways I thought, wow, what a great opportunity for us to be out there with other charities and what a great opportunity to raise awareness and to raise money.”

Rusty McGranahan was the first Catholic Charities runner to cross the finish line in Central Park, completing the course in 3 hours 15 minutes.

Lauren Liberatore, 25, who works in archdiocese’s Department of Education in marketing and student recruitment, finished in 5 hours and 19 minutes. She acknowledged the race was a struggle, particularly from the 23-mile point onward but she was proud she finished, even if she was not so sure, the next day at least, that she would do it again.

“It seemed like a great idea. I’m rethinking the whole decision now,” she said with a laugh. “Ask me in a couple of weeks but right now I’m still sore.”

Still, she said she would not forget the experience. “It’s so cool seeing the city in a different way,” she said, adding that she had the support of friends and family who cheered her on. She told CNY she raised about $3,000 herself. “I had a lot of support from my family and friends,” she said. “I did a lot of it through social media.”

Ms. Salice said running the marathon was on her bucket list but she added that hip replacement surgery a few years ago made that difficult. Her sister, Joanne Conley, had run in the marathon and helped her organize Catholic Charities’ initial participation.

“She helped me figure out what had to be done and walked through the process with me because there are a lot of things that have to happen to make the team come together. So she provided that background and since then it’s just taken off.

“We feel strongly that there is growth in the future and we’re going to be there for it.”