Chathamite Runs In 25th NYC Marathon

Chatham resident Greg Leto, 51, works in sales, but his real life revolves around running. This Sunday, Leto will compete in the New York City Marathon for the 25th consecutive year.

More than 40,000 people are expected to run across the five boroughs in this year's race and Leto, who began running the marathon in 1986, is as excited as ever. "Every year it's a new thrill," he said.    

Leto's introduction to the NYC Marathon was almost an accident. That first year, he was only filling in for a friend who got sick two weeks before the race. Though a runner since college, Leto had never run long distances and hadn't been training.   Still, he did well and developed what his wife calls, not an obsession, but "a connection" with the New York City Marathon.  

"New York is one of the most exciting ones because of the crowd and the energy," he said. For a marathoner like Leto, training is a year-round job that requires constant attention and dedication.

Ironically, Leto started running in college because it was something "not too time consuming." But not anymore. Leto said he dedicates four months every year to training for the marathon. He runs 40 to 60 miles a week, including three or four long runs (18 to 20 miles) toward the end of his training. This year, Leto ran three 20-milers to prepare.  

"The amazing thing over the years is I've been able to fit [the marathons] in," Leto said.  

His wife, Patty, agrees that Leto's ability to manage running with family life is pretty remarkable. "He finds a way to work it into his day," she said, and still make it to his daughter's lacrosse games. Leto has two daughters, Katie, 19, who is a sophomore at Lafayette College and Jaclyn, 16, who is a junior in high school.

All his training has paid off. Except for last year, when he finished the race in 3 hours, 1 minute, Leto has finished under three hours the past 21 years.

Though Leto tells friends and family that his only goal is to finish the race, his wife, Patty, tells a different story. "His goal is not just to finish," Patty said in a phone interview. "[The marathon] is a self-imposed challenge to maintain last year's [time]. He's pretty competitive."  

This year, Leto said he hopes to finish in the late 2 hours, 50 minutes to 3 hours, 50 minutes.

Surprisingly, Leto has only participated in a couple of other marathons—the Boston Marathon and the New Jersey Marathon. It's not really about racking up marathons, Patty said. It's about running.

"Overall, he loves it very much," she said. "I think it's a release for him. He's incredibly dedicated to it and that's what allows him to continue this way at the very high level he runs."   

Leto agrees. "It's a lifestyle thing," he said. "It's gives you a sense of structure and discipline, it's healthy, constructive, and [keeps you] focused."  

After the race on Sunday, Leto will do what he's been doing for the past 25 years. He'll meet up with friends on the Upper West Side, drink a little, watch football, savor the moment, and move, with a pass to eat whatever he wants, into the holiday season. 

Though this year will be Leto's last time running the New York City Marathon, he won't stop running. He relates to the Chilean miner who, stuck underground for nearly a month, ran six miles every day to stay sane. "It gave him hope," he said. "It's an incredible story."

Editor's Note: Greg Lowe finished the New York City Marathonr on Nov. 7 with a final time of 3:00:32.