Raised in a single parent household in East Harlem, Tucker dreamed of becoming a professional drug dealer.
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"Growing up in Harlem, I aspired to be a professional hustler," Tucker tells Eyewitness News.
A high school dropout, the New Yorker's world came crashing down at 20 after a dirt bike accident nearly left him unable to walk again.
That was, until a friend convinced him to go to community college.
Sometimes in life, all it takes is a second chance. For Tucker, that opportunity turned his life around - going from becoming a teacher to now assistant principal to young students in the South Bronx.
Finding purpose in his story, Tucker now hopes to use it to inspire others, including kids growing up in the same circumstances as he did.
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He's new to running, taking to it amid the 2020 pandemic and George Floyd protests as a way to exhaust his frustrations as the world seemed to be in disarray. This year's TCS NYC Marathon will be his first.
"Running is one of those things that kind of helped me pulled myself out of that dark stage," he shared.
Tucker is using this year's run to provide those kids with a bit of motivation, ensuring that second chances are indeed possible.
"Now I'm running the marathon this year, and I would say that my whole life has been a marathon," he said.
As a wise man once said, the marathon continues.
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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