Brooklyn mom of 3 ready to take on TCS New York City Marathon
Watch the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon Sunday, November 5 starting at 7 a.m. on ABC 7
BROOKLYN (WABC) -- For one of the runners getting ready for the TCS New York City Marathon, her life has already been a marathon that has taken her across the globe from Hong Kong to Brooklyn.
Now she has decided to run her first-ever marathon this year.
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It all began with a cousin's wedding last year - 45-year-old Mandy Kwan says her dress was tight after the long COVID hibernation, so she laced up her sneakers and hit Marine Park in Brooklyn.
"It was painful, I remember after, I was full of aches," Kwan said.
But she overcame the initial soreness and kept on moving.
"I just wanted to be more energetic again," she said.
The famed TCS New York City Marathon is a bucket-list item for athletes around the world, and for this Brooklyn mom, it will be her first time running 26-plus miles in a race.
Kwan homeschools her three young children and never fancied herself an elite runner, but she is about to go heel to heel with some of the fastest competitors in the world.
"It gives me a reason to push myself to do something I didn't think i was able to do," Kwan said.
Thanks to support from the New York Road Runners club, which is paying her entrance fee, the mom with new wings on her feet is about to go from zero to 26.2 miles in less than a year.
"I think it'll be really exhilarating," Kwan said. "Like one big party race throughout all five boroughs, it will be pretty cool, I can't picture it yet."
What she can picture is a world of possibilities. Sometimes she thinks about life and our humble place in the universe when she runs -- sometimes her grocery list or lessons for her boys.
But at the big race, she will be focusing on the glorious finish line.
"I gave myself this goal and I'm going to do it," Kwan said.
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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