Saucony 26 Strong | Team 22 – Rachel Edelman & Maddy Mako
Cadet: Rachel Edelman
Age: 31 | City: New York City
“I have had an on-again-off-again relationship with running since my teens,” says Rachel. “It has evolved into a full-fledged love affair since entering my 30s.” She started in earnest in 2010, when she was looking for an outdoor activity that she and her husband could do together. “I loved how strong and free it made me feel,” she says. “So after a year of running for fun, I signed up for my first race: the 2012 New York City Half Marathon.” She has since completed two more half marathons and a variety of shorter races.
Now she’s set her sights on the New York City Marathon. “I love being outside and feeling like I am doing something good for myself—body and mind,” she says. “I have wanted to run a marathon for years, but now that running is a consistent part of my fitness routine, I have the confidence in my abilities to get me to the finish.”
Vet: Maddy Mako
Age: 37 | City: New York City
Maddy grew up playing soccer and tennis and doing ballet. She didn’t start running until age 27 when she hopped on the treadmill at the gym. But when a friend asked Maddy to join her in a Mother’s Day race, she decided to give it a try. “Although I’d never run more than 3 miles on a treadmill I agreed,” she says. “I wore all the wrong things and started out too fast but I loved it anyway and signed up for another road race.”
Another friend helped inspire her to run her first marathon. “He had run the NYC marathon and recorded a podcast during the whole thing,” Maddy says. “He recorded his trip to the expo, the spaghetti dinner and excerpts from race itself. It was an inspiring 20-minute recording. He was also very encouraging. He told me that if I could run 3 miles then I could train to run a marathon. So I said, ‘Why not?’ The New York City Marathon was kind of a bucket list item. I thought I’d run it once and cross it off the list. When I crossed the finish line of the 2009, I started thinking about what I’d do differently next time. So I ran it again and again.”