He Went Back For More. Ron Runs His Fourth Marathon.

Ron Friedman, 79, crossing the finish line at The New York City Marathon last Sunday. Heart issues, broken bones, and family needs could not keep him away from a date with 26.2 miles, his fourth consecutive NYC Marathon. Photo by Vincent Del Cid/Achilles International.

By Ray Glier

Ron Friedman, 79, was on his feet almost 10 hours on the hard pavement. It became grueling just eight miles into the 26.2-mile New York City Marathon. Ron felt a wobble in his legs.

"I thought I might fall," he said. "I thought 'How am I ever going to finish?'" 

Something remarkable happened as Ron stayed on his feet. He grew stronger.

He had two guides from Achilles International, Vincent Del Cid and Gina Pennisi, who coached him on pace and the run/walk/run he needed to finish. He had his name "Ron" emblazoned on his shirt and throughout the day those supposedly "too busy" city folks chanted "Ron, Ron, Ron", which gave him energy.

Mostly, though. it was Ron being Ron. Between mile 12-13 he regrouped and got a "second wind."

"By 1st Avenue, around mile 16 or 18," he said, "I was flying."

I have written before about the fundamentals of successful athletes that have nothing to do with skill. In 10 hours last Sunday, Friedman, the most non-athletic athlete I know, displayed those fundamentals while running/walking The New York City Marathon.

Friedman had everything racing 26.2 miles requires…except speed.

Resolve, courage, motivation, ambition, willingness to be helped by others, and stamina were all checked boxes.

A teenager on a Saturday morning moves faster than Friedman. Ron started the race at 8:22 a.m. and finished at 6 p.m. with dusk. 

There were 51 finishers Ron’s age or older, among a field of 55,646 finishers.
Friedman finished with a glorious, I’ve-conquered-the-world smile. It was his fourth consecutive NYC Marathon.

I wrote a longer story on Ron in November, 2023 after his third NYC Marathon. Take some time please to read that story for the ridicule Friedman faced trying to play the stick-and-ball sports as a kid in the 50s.

He’s way past that ridicule. He’s a hero now.

“I get these messages from people that say I inspire them by running a marathon at my age,” Ron said. “So when you ask why I do this, that’s why.”

Earlier this year, Friedman fell and broke his neck. Also this year, a red-light runner crashed into him and Friedman suffered a broken sternum.

He still managed to go 26.2 miles Sunday.

His wife, Shelley, is about to undergo heart surgery. Ron was able to run the marathon because his son came from Montreal to be with Shelley the day of the race.

The Marathon can be a slog for someone who turns 80 in May. But Ron has this list of reasons for the run tattooed on his consciousness. 

“The primary reason,” he said, “that in order to remain healthy, you have to be active. And when I say healthy, I mean emotionally, intellectually and physically. And I find that when I started training for the marathon four years ago it gave me a purpose to keep moving. It gave me a purpose to get myself out of bed.”

The Marathon training, Ron said, was putting money in his “health bank.”

“I have a specific goal than just the generalized feeling of health,” Friedman said. “I like to show I'm not getting so old that I can't compete in a physical activity.”

Ron said all four of his marathons followed a similar pattern. At mile 8 of 26.2 miles he wondered how he would finish. Around mile 18, Friedman said he finds  new energy, which carries him to the finish.

He had help from Vincent and Gina, the volunteers from Achilles International who ran with him for safety and pace. This AI is all people-powered and a remarkable organization.

More than anything, Friedman said he had a duty to Geezer Jocks to finish last Sunday.

“People write me letters saying, for instance, ‘I’m 59 and thought I just could never do more than I do now, but if you can do it at 76, 77, 78, I think maybe I should try harder’ with my workouts,” Ron said. “What could be better in life at almost 80 than knowing that I inspire people.”