Meet the runners who are making their miles meaningful…

Meet Courtney!

My name is Courtney Dowdell. I will be running the NYC marathon this fall on November 5, 2023. I am excited that I will be running with New Ground. About me: I am a grateful momma to a free spirited and spunky 8 year old little girl. I am a psychotherapist in private practice based in New York State. I love to run, to yoga, to adventure in nature, to be in community, to read, and to be an advocate for human rights. This will be my first marathon and I am elated to be doing it with this organization.

I wholeheartedly believe in New Ground’s mission and commitment to educating and empowering families and veterans who are caught in the vicious cycle of homelessness. The right to adequate housing is connected to the right to live life in dignity. Homelessness goes beyond the deprivation of physical shelter —there is a loss of social connection, the feeling of “belonging nowhere,” and exclusion experienced by persons living in homelessness. Homelessness is a continuous and multidimensional challenge. We need a system in place that is responsive; a system that preserves the dignity of all persons; a system that makes home accessible to all. I will be guest bartending at the Ugly Duckling in Long Beach on Friday, September 22 from 5-10pm to raise money for Team New Ground. I hope that you can join!

Donate to Courtney’s Fundraising Page Here

Meet Sotiria!

My name is Sotiria Everett and I am excited to be part of the Team New Ground running the 2023 NYC Marathon. This will be my 3rd NYC marathon. Aside from running marathons, I have run half-marathons and long distance relays. I live on the north shore of Suffolk county and my community has several trails and scenic runs, which makes training more enjoyable. I am a professor at the Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine, where I teach nutrition to graduate students. I am also the performance nutritionist for the Stony Brook student athletes – go Seawolves! A cousin of mine is involved in planning fundraising events for New Ground, so I have known about this organization for a while. I was thrilled to hear that New Ground established a marathon team this year, and I jumped on the opportunity to join. I am excited to support New Ground’s mission to break the cycle of homelessness and support Long Islanders establish sustainable independence. I am having a fundraiser at the Country Corner in East Setauket on Thursday, Oct 5. 10% of sales made between 6pm – 11pm will be donated to Team New Ground!

Donate to Sotiria’s Fundraising Page Here

Meet Nicole!

Hi, my name is Nicole and I’m located in NYC. I work in consulting, advising clients on mergers & acquisitions and in my free time I love running, traveling, and hanging out with family/friends. This will be my first marathon, and I’m very excited to be doing it alongside my dad who is an avid runner/road biker. This year’s marathon is special to both of us as it’ll be a challenge were looking forward to completing together and we’re especially proud to be supporting team New Ground. Growing up in Syracuse, NY my dad taught me the importance of supporting the community through local initiatives and I’m honored to continue to support the community by being a part of team New Ground and advocating to break the cycle of homelessness through education and empowerment.

Donate to Nicole’s Fundraising Page Here

Meet Chris!

I am honored and excited to represent New Ground in this year’s NYC Marathon. I joined the Executive Board of New Ground in 2019, and ever since, I have been more and more inspired by the outcomes New Ground is able to help homeless veterans and families on Long Island achieve. Homelessness is a serious and largely invisible problem on Long Island, and it’s been impossible not to frequently share with family, friends, and colleagues the amazing success stories. So when offered the opportunity to run the marathon for New Ground, I knew I needed to put my proverbial money where my mouth is. This is a considerable challenge, and different from anything I have ever done, but I am excited to represent New Ground and experience the excitement of running the NYC marathon. I hope that others will join me and the rest of Team New Ground in supporting the incredible work New Ground is doing to change the lives of so many people.

Donate to Chris’s Fundraising Page Here

Meet Alex!

I am so honored and excited to run the 2023 New York Marathon with New Ground Inc. The New York Marathon will be my third star out of six World marathon majors! I am currently located in California, and also serve as head coach of my running team Korean American Running Team in La Canada, CA. As a Desert Storm veteran, I support and am fundraising for New Ground Inc. because they do amazing work supporting homeless Veterans and families on Long Island. I’m inviting friends like you to support my campaign. Thanks for taking a moment to check it out!

Donate to Alex’s Fundraising Page Here

Meet Sage!

My name is Sage Reisner and I am excited to run the New York City Marathon this fall. While I ran track in high school and have run a couple of half marathons years ago, this will be my first full marathon! I’m excited (and a little nervous) that this year my running the NYC marathon went from being a long-time idea to a clear goal. I am grateful for the opportunity to run the NYC marathon in support of New Ground. What an amazing and impactful organization, helping veterans and their families get on their feet and break the cycle of homelessness. When I learned about New Ground and its important mission, it brought a greater purpose to achieving my goal of running this marathon.

As I currently live on the upper west side of Manhattan, you can find me running either on the Hudson or around Central Park. Training has provided me with a great opportunity to explore new areas of the city, spend more time outside, and challenge myself to reach new distances. I am a management consultant at Alvarez & Marsal in New York, focused on talent, organization, and people management consulting services for public and private sector clients. Passionate about helping people solve complex problems, this has been an enjoyable and challenging profession for the past 7 years. Outside of work, I enjoy trying new restaurants with friends and family, playing tennis, taking long walks while listening to podcasts, painting, traveling, and spending time with as many dogs as possible.

New York City Marathon Runners