The Tudor team at the start

Bronx Prep students cheer on the runners

The jumbotron welcomed runners to the Bronx

Jorge waves to his cheering Robin Hood co-workers

The Bronx showed its marathon spirit

Kent Bailey high fives the mile 20 block party crowd

Dawn broke cool and crisp over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on Sunday, November 4, promising perfect New York City Marathon weather. The start area on Staten Island was a sea of dry fit-clad runners, one hundred of them headed to the Robin Hood meeting point. Each one had spent the past five months sacrificing sleep and time with friends and family to fundraise and train, wanting their race to make a difference in the lives of impoverished New Yorkers. All, whether hedge fund manager or public school teacher, had a different and inspiring path to the start line.

Jenny was ready to go, despite her need to slot training runs into an 80-hour-a-week public school teaching schedule in the South Bronx. Steve warmed up with his training partners, his daughter and son-in-law, who signed up to race for Robin Hood when they heard their formerly overweight dad was taking on the marathon. Judy limped injured to the start line, determined to see her race through no matter how much pain it might cause her.

Many had made Robin Hood training runs, meeting at 8 a.m. on Saturdays to be guided through Central Park by Robin Hood staff members. Others received helpful race advice from Tiki Barber at the Race for Robin Hood kick off party, as well as training tips from Ky Adderley, Kipp AMP principal and a former professional runner for Reebok, and motivation from Boubacor Traore, a survivor of torture who has run the New York City Marathon five times. Or they carbo-loaded at the pasta party days before the race, swapping tales of long run triumphs and tribulations.

Their hard work paid off over five boroughs worth of city streets. They came well-armed to push through the exhaustion and muscle pain, thinking instead of the school libraries, soup kitchens, charter schools, housing for the homeless, job training programs and health clinics along the route whose work their race was helping to support.

Waiting for them at mile 20 in the Bronx was a teeming Robin Hood block party, the theme from Rocky blaring, perking up tired runners. Marathoners’ families, Robin Hood staff, kids from nearby charter schools, and people from the neighborhood all joined together in bright green t-shirts to shout encouragement. The noise peaked when Robin Hood staff member, Jorge—who, moved by other staff runners’ efforts, jumped into his first marathon with only two months to train and no idea if he’d be able to finish—strode by smiling and waving.

Come the end of the race, everyone was tired but proud of their accomplishment: 26.2 miles completed to run poverty out of New York City.

Post race—and perhaps post massage and a margarita or two—the final fundraising push began. Who would win the coveted Golden Arrow, awarded to the individual and the team that raised the most money? One individual was clearly emerging as the winner, but hedge fund battled hedge fund to gain the top prize. And the envelope, please:

Individual Runner: Ari Storch
Marathon Team: Maverick Capital Management

The winners will receive their Golden Arrow Award at the Heroes Award Breakfast on November 29.

Check back soon for video footage from the pasta party and block party!

Learn how you can Race for Robin Hood