Christina Aponte is looking forward to running her first TCS New York City Marathon this Sunday, November 6th in support of The Fortune Society. She recently moved to New York to complete her orthodontic residency after graduating from dental school and was looking for a way to feel more connected to her new home:

While Christina has run some half marathons in the past, she does not consider herself an overly-experienced runner and still finds the task of running 26.2 miles daunting – but when she was offered the opportunity to run the marathon with the aim of fundraising for Fortune, she found an extra boost of motivation.

Something that really drew Christina to Fortune was the commitment to connecting people with justice histories to housing., She is excited to amplify that housing commitment to her friends and family through her fundraising: “It’s hard to find housing in general, so the fact that [Fortune] is trying to provide a gateway to housing and for people to feel a sense of autonomy in the next direction in life. Having a home is huge.”

She is also looking forward to finishing the race with her fellow Fortune Flyers “I was reading a story about one of the other runners who said, ‘my goal is just to finish. I just want to get across the finish line in a healthy way.’ When I read that, the whole thing felt more digestible. I realized I wasn’t the only one who felt nervous about the whole thing and it shifted my goal, too.”

We are looking forward to cheering you on at your first marathon this Sunday, Christina!