NYCRUNS Brooklyn Experience Half Marathon 2026

I am running the Brooklyn Half and fundraising with my sister in honor of my father, hero, and best friend, Mike Suesserman.

My father passed away on April 26th, 2020, after a two year battle with non small cell lung cancer, an extremely rare and aggressive mutation found exclusively in nonsmokers. Playing sports was always the way I felt I could honor my dad after his passing; the most important thing to him was not my success on the field, but my effort. A performance of mine was questioned not  on missed shots or turnovers; just if he thought I could've tried a little bit harder or ran a little faster. That was how I measured and continue to measure myself in his eyes; how much effort am I giving in everything that I'm doing. 

I miss my dad every second of every day. I miss his laugh and his advice. I miss his handshakes and his hugs. I miss watching movies with him and going to the grocery store and riding in the car, listening to all his favorite music. But when I put my shoes on and go for a run, I can feel those memories just a little bit closer to my head and my heart. The laughs don't seem so far away; I can feel the handshakes and the hugs, and when I get tired and want to quit, I can hear my dad's voice pushing me forward. The songs I run to remind me of listening to my dad play the guitar every night in that little side room in our basement; Sister Golden Hair by America, Sweet Virginia by the Stones, Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd.

Running has brought my sister and I closer together; as she so eloquently puts it, running has turned our shared grief into a combined strength. This years Brooklyn Half falls on the exact date of our dads passing, and Marly and I felt it was a call to action. Our fundraising efforts will go to the Michael Suesserman Family Foundation,  supporting critical research that seeks to further the implementation of new and improved lung cancer treatments for patients just like my dad.. We hope that this will honor who he was and what he stood for; supporting others and living life to the absolute fullest. Thank you for your consideration.