Helena Cheng, originally from China, is a young budding journalist.
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Their paths though collided in Hudson River Park, sandwiched between the hum of city traffic and a tranquil Hudson River in the shadow of the Manhattan skyline.
Training together for Sunday's TCS New York City Marathon, you could say they have different expectations.
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"I'm aiming to finish it within five hours and a half," Cheng tells Eyewitness News.
"I'm running to survive," says Dungca. "I'm running to finish."
But while their goals may be dissimilar, their motivation and purpose are the same.
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They're running to fundraise for the Asian American Journalist Association - a group that's given them voices and allowed them to belong.
Dungca is the organization's national president.
"The Asian American Journalist Association was started in 1981 by a group of Asian American journalists who didn't feel like they had voices in the industry," explains Dungca. "So, we're carrying on that tradition and helping to blaze the trail."
"I applied to the Jane Park awards this year which the funds helped me go to the AAJA convention this year," says Cheng. "It's a really good opportunity to expand your connections and feel like you're supported."
Last year was the first time the non-for-profit organization ran the marathon for charity. They raised $40,000.
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Look for them again this year, pounding the pavement through the five boroughs on Sunday - making every dollar and every step count.
Discover more coverage of the 2023 TCS NYC Marathon here and tune in Sunday starting at 7:00 a.m. on Channel 7 for coverage of the race.
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