“If I was trying to build a body that was trying to be fit to run my best marathon, it would look very different.” tommy_rivs has a new goal as he returns to the NYC Marathon after his cancer recovery
The 38-year-old runner views the 26.2 miles as a celebration of his recovery and progress toward his new goal: to build a body strong enough to fight cancer, if and when it returns.When Tommy Rivers Puzey toes the starting line at the New York City Marathon on Nov. 6, he will once again stand out with the chiseled muscular frame that has always set him apart from the much smaller and leaner physique of the elite marathoners he once competed against.
Why does he keep training so hard when he’ll never run as fast as he once did? He wants to be as fit and strong as possible if he has to deal with cancer again, but mostly because it provides a sense of purpose, commitment and the only way he can think of paying back those who helped him survive. “There is nobody more self-deprecating than Rivs,” says Ben Rosario, the founder of Team NAZ Elite. “It’s not like he was winning the Boston Marathon before. The way he created fans—and I think it was very organic and very authentic—was just by being himself. He was showing you how darn hard he was working and sharing the highs and lows with that whole process, and I think because of that, he’s been very relatable in a way much more than most elite athletes are.
He made some basic rehabilitative progress and started to slowly regain weight while temporarily living in the Phoenix area with his wife, Steph Catudal, and three young daughters, Harper, 12; Iris, 7; and Poppy, 5. But when the family moved back home to Flagstaff, Puzey’s progress evaporated into the thin air of the 7,000-foot environment.
Not long after that procedure, a positron emission tomography scan suggested the cancer might have returned. However, there were no red flags in his blood work, and his doctors eventually concluded the imaging test merely picked up ongoing inflammation from surgical incision sites in his lungs and not a return of the disease.
“He’s still waking up before the sun, still putting in the miles, still working hard,” Catudal says. “But our perspective has changed in that our desire to want to be present in all things that used to feel so monotonous is now just beautiful and something to celebrate. That feels, more than anything, that’s the greatest gift. We’re not chasing down dreams or huge goals, but just enjoying each other and our family and enjoying life as it unfolds.
Argentina Últimas Noticias, Argentina Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Aliphine Tuliamuk’s Tips for Making a Return to Running Post Pregnancy and InjuryThe Olympic Marathon Trials Champion makes her marathon comeback this weekend in New York City.
Leer más »
Shalane Flanagan's Advice for Running Your Best New York City MarathonThe champion shares her tips for start-to-finish marathon performance—and enjoying every priceless moment on the route.
Leer más »
Weather Or Not: TCS New York City Marathon: How will unseasonably warm weather affect runners?With temperatures forecasted to be in the mid-70s, how will the unseasonably warm weather affect runners in the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon?
Leer más »
The TCS NYC Marathon readies for its 51st staging - New York Amsterdam NewsThe 2022 TCS New York City Marathon, organized by the New York Road Runners, will take place this Sunday, Nov. 6, starting at the southwestern approach to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island and ending 26.2 miles later at Tavern on the Green in Central Park in Manhattan.
Leer más »