Help fund Nicole’s 2026 marathon, benefitting Team for Kids
I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be running the 2026 NYC Marathon, racing on behalf of Team for Kids.
Your generous gift supports NYRR’s free youth and community programs, which provide thousands of children nationwide with the tools to lead healthy, active lives. I am raising $4,000 for Team for Kids. I know these are your hard-earned dollars, and that there are many causes worthy of our support (now more than ever). If you feel called to give generously this season, this is one option to consider.
As a thank-you, everyone who donates any amount on Giving Tuesday (Dec 2nd 2025) will receive a New Year’s Reflection Pack, one of my best-selling offerings and a meaningful holiday or new-year gift for yourself or a friend. There are no giving tiers—you can enter any amount that feels comfortable.
I don’t ask lightly or with any expectation. I’ll be hosting several fundraising events in 2026, but if you’re looking to make an end-of-year contribution, this is an option I’m deeply proud to share. Thank you for considering, and for supporting this journey in whatever way feels right.
If you’d like to hear more of my story and why I’m racing, scroll down.
A love note back to my body.
Movement has meant so much to me for as long as I can remember. Running, and movement through soccer, has been a massive part of my life since I was five years old. I’ve been on teams that have been ranked #1 in the nation, and played four years at the Division I level. Walking away from the opportunity to play soccer professionally at 21 was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made, and also the right one. Though I loved it for a majority of my years playing, my relationship with movement had crumbled.
When I was just 19 years old, I underwent hip surgery, an injury that is often a result of overworking the hip. After almost a full year of tests, hospital visits, and specialists trying to figure out where my pain was coming from, I finally learned what was wrong. During that year, I kept training, even as my leg went numb during practice and the soreness never let up. Some players and coaches began to doubt that the injury was even real. Then one day the doctors came back with a clear image of my hip labrum, torn completely in two, on my right side. The clean split vindicated the strange pain I’d had for so long, but had continued to play on 6 days a week. My trainer looked to me, and I cried in the back room of the college training center. A year-long recovery was ahead of me.
After laparoscopic hip surgery, I was bedridden through Thanksgiving break. Then came crutches, then the pool, then the bike. Eventually, I made it back into my starting position on the field after more than half a year of recovery. I am grateful for the ability to still move in the ways that I can — as a woman in my thirties now, I feel scared for the 19 year old who had banged up her body at such a young age. My fear as a college kid stopped at losing my starting spot on the field because of this surgery; now, my priorities are to care for my body in a way that allows me to move joyfully, and to run and play with my future kids without pain. My college soccer experience was intense, all-encompassing, and at times designed to make you doubt every good thing about yourself—to break you down, to test you. To pit you against your teammates, and push you to compete against them instead of alongside them. By the time I graduated and traveled to Poland to receive my professional contract offer with Medyk Konin, my relationship with sport was broken. I declined the offer and returned home to continue with my graduate program instead.
If I’m honest with myself, I don’t know what choice I would have made if I’d had a better relationship with both soccer and with working out overall. Maybe I’d still be abroad playing.
A grief & a rewriting of the story
It took many years to dabble with movement again, let alone anything competitive. Yoga felt challenging in the safest, most embodied way, and I clung to it. I dabbled with running but it felt forced. I even finished my first marathon in 2021, and while it was deeply emotional and fulfilling, I put my body through hell to finish rather than training intentionally. I punished my body instead of treating it kindly and preparing it for something demanding.
Eventually, through exploring working out in loving ways and an overall deeper self-understanding, the healing began. I’m in an adult soccer league now with people who are competitive in a fun way but never cruel. I’m having more fun—and sometimes even playing better—than I did at the highest level. Yoga remains a staple for bringing me back into my body and helping me try new things that challenge me in ways that feel present and grounded.
Training for this marathon feels like a love note back to myself and to my body.
I want to train well, to train with devotion. I want to return to a routine over and over because I want to, not because I’m terrified of the punishment waiting if I don’t. Thank you for supporting this journey. I’m looking forward to sharing it with you along the way.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Your donation goes directly to Team for Kids through their donation portal. Their youth programs introduce youth to the sport of running with engaging opportunities that support their physical and academic growth. Programs take place across New York City and nationwide through schools, after-school programs, and community centers; continually expanding access to the benefits of running for the next generation.
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Yes! Donating to Team for Kids is 100% tax-deductible.
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No, you can choose custom amounts on my personalized donation portal, so that you’re only giving what feels comfortable to you. Any amount helps! Thank you in advance.
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Check with your employer if donation matching is offered! This will help take your donation even further.