Caleb McEntire: Running the Marathon for a Good Cause

Just three years ago, Caleb McEntire, 27, a student at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, considered running two miles an accomplishment. On Nov. 1, he will run 13 times that distance.

When did you start running, and why? And what is the longest distance you have run?

I only started running about three years ago; I still have an email I sent to a friend in early 2012 saying, “OH MY GOD I JUST RAN TWO MILES WITHOUT STOPPING.”

Since then I’ve picked up my running distances just a bit, so it’s a lot of fun to think about how far I’ve come.

Why are you running the NYC Marathon?

I’m running to raise money for Team For Kids, an amazing New York City-based charity that creates free running programs for students in lower-income and underserved areas of the city. It specifically targets kids who aren’t already into athletics. I hated sports as a kid, so seeing programs like these means a lot to me. Also, I do have to shamelessly plug my charity: my donation page is at www.runwithtfk.org/Profile/PublicPage/20878 – and every little bit counts!

What is your goal on race day?

While I have a personal time goal, I mostly just want to enjoy myself and bring in some funding for Team For Kids! My first marathon was the Cape Cod Marathon, which happens at the end of October. It was in the middle of just stupidly pretty auburn leaves and crisp autumn air. It was gorgeous, but the crowd was also small. I love the energy of big marathon day celebration crowds.

Does this distance— or this particular race— have any special meaning for you?

I’ve wanted to run the NYC marathon for several years. It just seems like such a benchmark race to run. Especially now that I live here, I can’t wait to explore the boroughs in a pretty danged unique way.

What gets you through your long training runs?

Music is a huge part of that: especially on long runs, when I’m out for a few hours, I can indulge myself by listening all the way through new albums or old favorites. The luxury of listening to music while I’m not doing other work is something I don’t take for granted.

The people who’ve donated to my charity have also played a huge part in this particular training period; knowing folks are funding a great organization just because I’m running for them is really powerful.

Have you had any particularly special moments during your long training runs?

I was working in the Caribbean when I starting training for my first marathon, so it was pretty warm out. It it was often in the high 80’s to low 90’s with 100 percent humidity. At that point I also didn’t have a great idea of how much hydration I needed on my runs, and there was nowhere I could stop on my route to buy drinks. (I was not in a particularly developed area.) What all this meant is that the very first time I ran 13.1 miles, I was so dehydrated that I started hallucinating just a little bit. But at the same time, I had the hugest endorphin rush and this crazy sense of accomplishment. Like, "Yes, I can push through dehydration if I need to!"

Healthy? …perhaps not. Special? Emphatically, yes.

Do you see any relationship between your work and your running?

Running keeps me sane. If I’m having a stressful workday, there is almost nothing that puts things in perspective more or brings me back to a positive place than a long run in the Palisades. It reminds me that I’m not trapped, that if I wanted to I could just scoot off and let my legs carry me wherever I wanted. It’s very empowering.