Michael Murrer’s reasons for running for Team Catholic Charities NY in the NYC ING Marathon on November 4 are many. First, he says, Catholic Charities is a family affair; his father, Martin Murrer, serves on this nonprofit agency’s board. Next, he has completed a number of 5 and 10ks and has always wanted to run the Big One back here in the Big Apple. Then, there’s the inspiration of being a native New Yorker looking for a way to give back.
But, most of all, he says, “this is the last good chance before stuff gets really crazy.”
Michael, 28, and his wife, Diana, are expecting the birth of their first baby, a girl, at the end of October.
“I always had running the New York marathon in the back of my mind,” Michael says. “With the baby coming, I realized I better do it now.”
Meanwhile, he said, running the marathon while raising money for Catholic Charities offered an opportunity too good to pass up. Similar to his father, Michael volunteers for Catholic Charities and serves on its Junior Board for young adults.
“After meeting with (Catholic Charities Executive Director) Msgr. Sullivan, going to Junior Board meetings, and seeing Cardinal Dolan speak at the Catholic Charities gala, I felt inspired, excited and knew that this is something I could get passionate about,” he says.
So now Michael runs one-to-two hours nearly every day, jogging along the East River or the reservoir in Central Park to train for the 26.2 mile marathon. His workout began with a five-to-seven mile run in the early morning hours of April and May. From there, he worked up to 14-mile runs. He plans, he says, to reach 20-plus miles by the end of this month.
Michael played football and lacrosse at Bronxville High School in Westchester County, graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in finance in 2007, and now works as an Associate at Jefferies Investment Banking in Manhattan.
When he tells friends and coworkers that he is running for Team Catholic Charities they pay attention, he says. “Everyone in the course of their life catches a couple of bad breaks and you need organizations like Catholic Charities to get you through them.”
Support Michael Murrer’s fundraising goal for Catholic Charities and cheer him on as he trains for the 2012 ING NYC Marathon.
Back in his pre-parent days, Michael Murrer said he saw his run for Team Catholic Charities NY in the NYC ING Marathon on November 4 as “the last good chance before stuff gets really crazy.” Read more.
