76-year-old won't let age stop him from achieving his goals at the TCS NYC Marathon
Watch the 2024 TCS NYC Marathon on Sunday starting with the pre-show at 7:00 a.m. on Channel 7
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Mitch Strong is 76 years young and about to run his first marathon since he was 40 years old.
"I was always a fan of running," Strong said. "My dad used to take me to track meets at Madison Square Garden...we would go to long-distance running events around Yankee Stadium back in the '50s, and that's how I developed a love for it."
Strong has been running for as long as he can remember. And if you ask him, he's still got a long way to go.
"Just this past year, I have attempted to run 100 miles three times to give my all all three times I did not finish in the 100. So I have never completed 100. I got as far as 86 miles and I had to pull out," he said.
In addition to running, Mitch is also a coach for the New York Road Runners' Striders program -- which helps adults get active and find a love for running and walking.
"One of the things that I feel about coaching is that the first and foremost responsibility of a coach is to instill a love of the sport and then once a person develops that love of the sport, they can do a lot of things on their own," said Strong. "As a New York Road Runner Striders coach, our people come to us not having a background of much exercise at all, and to watch them do their first event or their first 5K or even their first one mile, that gives me joy."
It's a joy that he credits with keeping him going during his battle with prostate cancer back in 2015.
"My family, of course, was the crutch over here and the running community was the crutch over here," says Strong.
Now that he's a cancer survivor, Mitch says he's fallen even more in love with running.
"It was something that changed my life. But believe it or not, it changed for the better," says Strong. "And what I mean by that is I appreciate life. I appreciate all that living has to offer. And so the running part is just just how it just fits in together because I love the sport."
So for the first time in 36 years, Mitch is lacing up his sneakers to take on a marathon in the city he calls home.
"There are going to be friends along the course," says Strong. "I look forward to seeing them. I will stop and enjoy them...I don't care how slow I am, as long as I finish within the day."
And proving he'll never let his age stop him from reaching his goals.
The 2024 TCS New York City Marathon takes place on Sunday, November 3. Coverage on Channel 7 and wherever you stream ABC 7 New York begins with our pre-race show, Marathon Sunday, at 7:00 a.m. Live coverage of the marathon begins at 8:00 a.m. only on Channel 7 and ESPN2.
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