Long Island family to have 3 generations running together in TCS New York City Marathon

ByKemberly Richardson

Friday, November 1, 2024

Long Island family to have 3 generations running in TCS NYC Marathon

Kemberly Richardson has the details on the family.

BETHPAGE, Long Island (WABC) -- For one Long Island family, this year's TCS NYC Marathon will have extra special meaning -- three generations running for the first time.

Rodrigo, James and Justin Villavicencio family will be participating in the event running side by side.

It started with James, who began running when he was a young father after catching the bug from his father, Rodrigo.

"1998 was my first marathon," said James Villavicencio. "I ran a handful of marathons. This will be my ninth. My wife and my kids would come out and cheer us on."

Justin Villavicencio has been on the marathon route nearly 30 times cheering on his grandfather, Rodrigo, and father James, but now he is participating in his first race at just 22-years-old.

"I grew up watching them run every year," said Justin Villavicencio. "So its kind of been a dream of ours to join them one day when we were able to."

The special moment of three generations running side by side Sunday almost never happened because of the pandemic. Rodrigo Villavicencio, 75, was hospitalized with COVID-19 in March 2020. His condition was bad enough that he was intubated

"When I running one day I didn't feel good and I couldn't breathe," recalled Rodrigo Villavicencio. "And my son said lets go to the hospital."

Rodrigo Villavicencio spent two weeks at Jamaica Hospital and made it through the ordeal despite some pretty daunting times. His x-rays of his lungs doctors said were of a 50-year-old rather a 70-year-old.

"He's a fighter and he's got a lot of energy as you can tell," said James Villavicencio. "So he was not giving up so easy."

The Villavicencio family acknowledged they will have have a ton of family along the parade route, especially their number one supporter -- "Mama".

"She's at certain mile markers with the rest of my family and my wife and kids," James Villavicencio acknowledged. "My mother's gonna be there with pretzels, oranges and sandwiches for these guys. Yeah they eat a salami sandwich when they run. Don't ask."