The 2025 TCS New York City Marathon is quickly approaching, and The Fortune Society’s team, the Fortune Flyers, is gearing up for another exciting race on November 2! 

Each year, the Fortune Flyers run in support of Fortune to raise money for the organization’s ever-growing array of services and programs. This year, we sat down with team member Seth to talk about why he decided to run in support of Fortune and what he looks forward to ahead of this year’s race. 

Seth is taking on his first marathon after completing other distance events, such as half-marathons and trail runs. Consistently active, he prioritizes strength training to enhance his marathon preparation, while also running six days a week and swimming. With this intense training, he will be well prepared on Marathon Day.  

“I just try to maintain a healthy lifestyle overall, and running is a big part of that,” Seth said. 

Seth emphasizes running as a valuable tool for connection. As a teenager, running with friends on the cross-country team was a positive opportunity for community building, and he maintains that same mindset. Now, as an urban planner in Washington, D.C., Seth shared that going outside for a run often offers a fresh perspective and further immerses him in his community.  

“Professionally, my day-to-day is being in the built environment or like looking at the built environment and how that impacts people,” Seth said. “I think running correlates to viewing the world on a pedestrian scale. It’s important to connect to your community.” 

Seth also understands the value of community for those coming home from incarceration, and this understanding motivated him to run with the Fortune Flyers this year. He is proud to run in support of Fortune and fundraise for an organization whose mission aligns with his own.  

Seth has connected with some of the other Fortune Flyers ahead of the race. Once all ten runners had signed up for the team, they met virtually to discuss their goals for Marathon Day, reasons for running, and to get to know one another. During that initial meeting, he also met David, the team captain. He shared that David offers guidance and helpful tips to prepare for the race, and they’ve spoken several times to establish a realistic training plan to help Seth meet his personal goals.  

“David is a helpful resource, and I enjoyed getting the chance to speak with the other runners,” Seth said. “I’m excited to meet them at the team dinner before the race.”  

Thank you, Seth, for your commitment to The Fortune Society! We are deeply grateful for your support in our mission to build people, not prisons.  

We can’t wait to cheer for you and all the Fortune Flyers on November 2!