Minding Your Mind was honored to have been named an Official Charity Partner for the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, the 10th year we have been designated this privileged association.
Marathon host New York Road Runners (NYRR) held a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of its five-borough New York City Marathon course. First run as a five-borough race in 1976 to celebrate the nation’s Bicentennial and uplift the city, the New York City Marathon set the standard for the modern marathon and is now the world’s largest, bringing together nearly 60,000 runners and more than two million spectators to experience the transformative power of running every first Sunday of November.
The TCS New York City Marathon Official Charity Partner Program supports other nonprofit missions and services by giving organizations guaranteed entries to the TCS New York City Marathon for athletes to fundraise on their behalf. In celebration of the 50th running of the five-borough course anniversary, in 2026, New York Road Runners is expanding its TCS New York City Marathon Official Charity Partner Program to include more than 670 charities—the most ever. Minding Your Mind is honored to be chosen as a member of this historic group.
Team Minding Your Mind for 2026 is made up of 16 individuals, each of whom has a personal story of why the mission of Minding Your Mind connects with them and inspired them to run the TCS NYC Marathon. Collectively, Team Minding Your Mind will raise more than $80,000 for mental health education and suicide prevention programs throughout the country. We are so grateful for their dedication to this cause and confidence in our programs.
There are eight runners who are still actively fundraising toward the $5,000 goal: Vanessa, Lizzie, Stewart, Nikki, Liam, Katie, Connor, and Barth. If you are considering making a donation to Minding Your Mind this year, please help these runners reach their goals.
Erin is a trauma therapist who cares deeply about creating more open conversations around mental health. This November, she’ll take on her first marathon, running through NYC in memory of her aunt and supporting a cause that is deeply personal to her. She’s honored to make her first 26.2 miles count as part of Team Minding Your Mind. Donate to Erin and read more of her story.
When I first decided that I wanted to run a marathon, I knew I wanted my first one to mean something.
Running the New York City Marathon is an incredible personal challenge, representing months of training, early mornings, long runs, tired legs, setbacks, small victories, mental resilience, and learning to keep showing up even when something feels difficult. But having the opportunity to run it with Team Minding Your Mind has given those miles a much bigger purpose.
As a licensed psychotherapist and school-based psychotherapist, mental health is deeply connected to the work I do every day. Working with young people has shown me just how important it is to begin conversations about mental health early.
Children and adolescents don’t always have the words to explain what they’re experiencing. Sometimes they are still learning how to recognize their emotions, understand what is happening internally, or know when and how to ask for help. I’ve seen how meaningful it can be when a young person begins to realize that what they’re feeling can be talked about, that support exists, and that they don’t have to navigate difficult moments alone.
That’s what made Minding Your Mind’s mission feel especially close to home for me.
I believe some of the most important mental health work can happen long before someone reaches a point of crisis. It begins with education. It happens when we create spaces for honest conversations, reduce the shame that can surround mental health, and give young people the language and confidence to speak up when something doesn’t feel right.
Minding Your Mind’s commitment to mental health education, reducing stigma, and using real stories of lived experience to encourage help-seeking strongly reflects those values. It made the organization feel like a natural fit for a cause I would be proud to represent.
There is also something beautifully fitting about pairing this mission with a marathon.
Running has taught me many of the same lessons I hope to encourage in others: to be patient with progress, to stay present through discomfort, to accept that difficult days are part of the process, to ask for support when you need it, to find community with others also going through similar experiences, and to keep believing in what you’re capable of even when the finish line still feels very far away.
For me, resilience is about learning that we are capable of moving through very difficult moments by developing the strength, self-awareness, and support systems to continue forward even when the path feels uncertain.
So when I stand at the starting line in New York, I won’t just be thinking about the 26.2 miles ahead of me.
I’ll be thinking about the young people who are still learning how to put words to what they’re feeling.
I’ll be thinking about the importance of making conversations about mental health feel normal rather than shameful.
I’ll be thinking about every person who donated, encouraged me, followed the training journey, or helped turn this personal goal into something much bigger than myself.
Every mile of training and every mile through New York City will have a little more meaning because I’m not running it only for myself.
I’m running with purpose, and I’m incredibly honored to represent Team Minding Your Mind at the 2026 New York City Marathon.
I am so excited to be running the NYC marathon with minding your mind! While I was supposed to run in 2026 I had to defer to next year due to needing hip surgery about a month ago but I still get to raise money this year!
I am so proud to be able to raise money for a great organization. I wish there had been a program like Minding Your Mind when I was starting to struggle in middle school. I struggled with anxiety, OCD, and depression with little to no knowledge about it or how to get help. I now have my community, running, and other things that have helped my mental health journey tremendously. I do believe that if my school hosted Minding Your Mind when I was young, I could have avoided years of struggling feeling alone.
I am now a special education instructional assistant and want to make sure my students are educated on mental health and don’t feel as alone as I did! That’s why I am so proud to be able to run (so soon) for Minding Your Mind!
On the first Sunday of November 2023, my family lost my 18-year old sister Jordan to her struggles with mental health during her first semester of college. One year later, on the first Sunday of November, I ran my first NYC Marathon in her memory. Signing up for that race on a whim ended up helping me improve my own physical health, deal with my grief, and it has now become my way of trying to make a difference for others facing similar mental health challenges.
In November 2025, I was again fortunate to run the NYC Marathon in Jordan’s memory, as well as the NYC Half Marathon in March 2025. In May 2026, I ran my first marathon abroad in Edinburgh, also for Jordan.
The first Sunday of November is a day I both dread and look forward to. It marks another year without my little sister, but it is also a day when the city comes together, cheering for strangers and the best sides of people are on full display. For me, it has become a day where I can honor Jordan, remember her, and raise funds for organizations that support others struggling with depression.
This year, I am privileged to run the NYC Marathon again for Minding Your Mind for a second time. Much of their work is made possible through fundraising events and personal donations like this one. Your support can truly make a difference — and save lives.
I am beyond excited and honored to be running the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon with Team Minding Your Mind. As a former Title I elementary school teacher, I saw hundreds of children walk into my classroom carrying heavy trauma, many without the resources or tools to navigate their struggles. School is a place to learn not only academics but also about physical, mental, and emotional well-being. I believe that no matter who you are or where you come from, every child deserves access to a quality education and the resources they need to thrive, including access to mental health support.
As a lifelong competitive swimmer who has now become a triathlete and marathon runner, running has transformed me. Running makes me feel strong, both mentally and physically. Through my running journey, I have proven to myself that I am capable of so much more than I ever imagined. I have fallen in love with the journey of training towards a long-term goal.
Running the New York City Marathon is truly a dream come true. I believe it is a privilege to choose the kind of pain you endure, and throughout this marathon, I will carry Alex with me, along with the many others who have struggled with their mental health. Their stories remind me why this mission matters so deeply.
Mental health must be talked about, supported, and normalized if we want to create a healthier and more compassionate future. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to run for something bigger than myself and to help ensure that young people have the resources, support, and hope they deserve.
“I’ve learned firsthand that taking care of your mental health isn’t always easy, but asking for help can make all the difference. It’s a lesson I’ve carried with me since high school, when I first sought help for anxiety and challenges with peers.
Over the years, I’ve continued prioritizing my mental health through therapy, medication, and running, especially after experiencing postpartum depression following the birth of my youngest daughter.
That’s why I’m running the 2026 NYC Marathon for Minding Your Mind. I believe young people deserve the tools and confidence to ask for help before reaching a crisis point.
I’m running for myself, for my daughters, for those who struggle silently, and in memory of a coworker who couldn’t see his worth the way we did.
If sharing my story helps even one person feel less alone or more comfortable asking for help, every mile will be worth it.
I’m a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher at Northwestern University in Chicago and I know the power that education can have on the mental health crisis facing adolescents and young people today.
Minding Your Mind is exactly the type of organization that can truly make a difference. They sponsor and coordinate educational events on mental health that are led by students, teachers, parents and community partners. It is an honor to run the NYC marathon for this amazing and highly impactful group.
Running has been a part of my life for many years, and with more than 30 marathons behind me, I have learned that every finish line tells a story. But the 2026 New York City Marathon will carry a meaning unlike any race I have ever run.
In June 2024, my 14-year-old son, Logan, died by suicide. Losing Logan forever changed my life and gave me a purpose I never expected to have: doing everything I can to help prevent another family from experiencing this kind of loss.
I am an elementary school physical education teacher and varsity cross country coach, and I am passionate about teaching young people the importance of taking care of both their physical and mental health. I believe health education can give kids the knowledge, confidence, and tools they need to ask for help, support one another, and understand that mental health deserves the same attention as physical health.
This November, I am proud to run the New York City Marathon with Minding Your Mind, an organization dedicated to providing mental health education and ending the stigma surrounding mental health challenges in young people.
I have run thousands of miles and crossed more than 30 marathon finish lines, but these 26.2 miles will be about so much more than running. I will run to honor Logan, to raise awareness, and to help create a future where young people feel seen, supported, and never alone.
Every mile for Logan. Every mile with purpose.
This will be my first marathon, and I’m running in honor and memory of my father, who passed away by suicide in 2025. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to run for Minding Your Mind because I really believe in their mission to provide mental health education, raise awareness, reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, and encourage people to seek help before they reach a crisis. I’m excited to take on this challenge while supporting a mission that means so much to me and honoring my dad along the way.
I am so excited to be running the 2026 TCS New York Marathon with Minding your Mind. This will be my second marathon and the opportunity to run it with Minding your Mind is extremely important to me. I run this race in honor of my cousin Isaiah, who we miss every single day. ♥️
Minding your Mind is an incredibly inspiring organization. Their overall mission as well as their individual stories are equally moving. We need to continue discussions about mental health to help end the stigma and Minding your Mind is doing just this.