The New York City Marathon, a feat completely inimaginable to the average person, was completed last year by a woman who graduated from BHS over a decade ago.

Marie DiDonato, a Bethpage alum who is a wife, mother of two, and owner of a successful business, ran the NYC Marathon in 2017. Running for a team that raised money for the widows of police officers, Marie raised approximately six thousand dollars for the cause. This allowed her to run with the New York Police Department. ‘I really just sympathize with women who lost their other half on the job”, she explained. Having a husband who risks his life every single day, leaving his family not knowing if he’ll make it home that night is a heartbreaking experience. And when they don’t come home? Well, that’s what this fundraiser was for. Besides comforting the widows for emotional comfort, financial support is the best we can offer these women, although nothing will ever truly rid the pain they feel inside. Lack of money due to one less worker in the house can also be an extremely stressful situation and so Marie felt she had a duty to help these women.

Running a marathon, as you could imagine, is not an easy task. However, the benefits you reap from such an accomplishment are tremendous. Prior to just a few years ago, Marie was never a runner and would have never pictured herself running in her free time for fun. Being able to finish the New York City marathon made her realize that “what may seem as the impossible is possible when you really put your mind to it”.