Fordham Prep Community Volunteers, Fundraises and Runs the NYC Marathon

In true Fordham Prep fashion, the FP community came out in full force for the 2025 New York City Marathon. Numerous Fordham Prep alumni, families, students and friends ran, volunteered, fundraised and cheered.

Twenty members of the Fordham Prep Cross Country Team, led by JV Cross Country Head Coach Ed Jennings, volunteered at the Mile 20 aid station on 163rd Street in the Bronx. For six hours, the Prep’s XC contingent filled water bottles, swept up empty cups and cheered for thousands of runners as they entered the marathon’s final 10 kilometers. Among them were many Fordham Prep alumni who, in keeping with the school’s service-driven mission, ran the marathon while raising money for charitable causes.

Jackson Goodman ’19, who first got into running his senior year at Boston College, fundraised for Cristo Rey New York High School. Supporting Cristo Rey felt like a natural choice for Goodman, who currently works at America magazine, a national Jesuit publication. “Cristo Rey is founded on a work-study model where students are in class four days a week and work a typical 9-to-5 one day a week. Having worked with several Cristo Rey New York students at America, once I saw Cristo Rey listed as an official Marathon partner, I thought, ‘No way, this is perfect.’ And it’s the Jesuit connection that made it possible.”

Looking back at his time at the Prep, Goodman said, “I feel like the opportunity to run these races and fundraise for great causes comes from everything I took away from BC and Fordham Prep; they instill these ideas of community service, of being with people.”

John DeAngelis ’19 also got into running while attending Boston College. “There’s a mentor I met through the BC Kairos program, which is like the Fordham Prep Emmaus Retreat. After leading my retreat, we became friends, and he brought me out on a bunch of runs.”

Ahead of the marathon, DeAngelis fundraised for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. “My grandfather passed away from Parkinson's in 2017, and he was a big distance runner. I got into this late in college, so I never really had a chance to share running with him. He completed the New York City Marathon about 10 times and ran many others during his life. So that was a very personal and special moment for me, to do this for something bigger than myself.”

Peter Elmlinger ’15 began running his senior year at Fordham Prep but switched to distance competitions while at West Point. “I was on a team called Sandhurst, it’s an international military skills competition held once a year at West Point.”

Elmlinger, who served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, ran the 2025 marathon in support of the Army Ranger Lead the Way Fund, which was started in honor of Jimmy Regan, a Chaminade graduate, Duke lacrosse player and Army Ranger killed in Iraq. “The Lead the Way Fund has done a lot to support Rangers: building houses for wounded soldiers, helping with college funding and hosting family events while units are deployed. It’s a great organization that looks after the families so we can focus on what we need to do,” he said. At the time of the interview, Elmlinger had raised over $4,000. “It was a nice full circle, to move back to New York, run the New York City Marathon for a charity that supports a group I care deeply about and do it alongside fellow Fordham Prep people. It was a good day,” he reflected.

After the race, Michael Paranac ’06, who ran in support of Catholic Charities of New York, realized a chance encounter with a childhood friend and fellow FP classmate, Andrew Cavanagh ’06, had inspired him to run.

“I bumped into Andrew and his son at the grocery store this March,” Paranac recalled. “I was in my running gear, and he asked, ‘Have you thought about the New York City Marathon?’ I told him, ‘I don’t think I have that in me.’ But Andrew—he was such a kind, thoughtful guy—said, ‘You should really consider it.’ He’d run it years ago, way faster than I ever could, but he said it was an incredible experience. He put the idea in my head. Then by chance, or grace, all these things fell into place.”

“Sadly, I never got to tell him before he tragically passed away a couple of months ago. But I thought about him out there, especially running through the neighborhood where we lived. It was poetic, really, to realize one of our last conversations was him inspiring me to do something I didn’t think I could.”

Fordham Prep Varsity Cross Country Coaches George Febles, P’22, and Gerry Sullivan ’92 were also among the marathon runners. Although ultimately separated by start times, they maintained a friendly competition throughout training. Sullivan deadpanned after one XC training run, “I don’t care if I’m 59,225th place as long as I come in before George.” In the end, their claim that this would be their final marathon “lasted about three days,” Febles admitted the Thursday after the race.

Back in the Bronx, while waiting for his son to pass the Mile 20 marker, FP Hurdles Coach George Febles Sr. heard someone call, “Fordham Prep!” He turned to see Kevin Phipps ’01, a former track coach and science teacher at the Prep, and the two shared one of those mid-race reunions that make the New York City Marathon so special.

Proving the FP Family stretches beyond alumni, Victoria Patti, sister of Ernie Patti ’20, ran the marathon in support of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which seeks to find a cure for spinal cord injuries and paralysis while supporting the millions of Americans living with paralysis.

“It was June when I was invited to join their team and run the marathon to raise money for the foundation, which obviously supports people like Ernie who are living with these types of injuries,” Victoria shared.

Patti ’20 added context about how his sister became involved with the Reeve Foundation team. “Someone told her that the Christopher Reeve Foundation likes to get people to run for them. I know a lot of people at the foundation through outreach and resources, and when they saw her name pop up, they said, ‘We can’t not include her on the team.’” At the time of writing, Victoria had raised more than $26,000 for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Of course, no Fordham Prep marathon story would be complete without acknowledging the incredible work of Joe Altenau ’04. As Head of Event Production for New York Road Runners, Altenau played a key role in ensuring the success of this year’s race, not only for the Fordham Prep community, but for the 56,000+ runners and more than a million spectators who came out to experience one of New York City’s most storied events.

From the Bronx to the finish line, the Fordham Prep spirit endures; rooted in service, strengthened by friendship and always running toward something greater.

(Special thanks as well to Brian Doherty ’06 of the NYPD, who helped keep the course safe for all participants.)