The COVID-19 Pandemic simply devastated college athletes in their final year of eligibility. When the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) cancelled all spring sports on March 13, SUNY New Paltz cross country alumnae Vanessa Morgan and Emily Cavanagh '20 were unsure as to whether or not they had run their final race together. Now, thanks to the hard work of New York Road Runners, the two will be able to run together once more by virtue of the Virtual TCS New York City Marathon.
 
Growing up nearly three and a half hours away from each other, Morgan and Cavanagh were brought together through a passion for running at the SUNY New Paltz. There, they pushed each other to be better, thus resulting in a myriad of accolades for the women's cross country program. Morgan consistently earned nominations to the SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll, while Cavanagh quietly became the one of the best runners in program history, becoming the first to qualify for the national meet twice.
 
Undoubtedly, the loss of last spring left a bad taste in their mouths. Both runners yearned for a form of closure to their distinctive careers. Therefore, when the opportunity to compete in an event as historic as the NYC Marathon came along, it was a no brainer for the duo.
"Not having a spring track season this year was a bummer, especially as a senior," Cavanagh said. "I figured challenging myself with a marathon would be a good opportunity to train for something once again and set new goals."
 
The 26.2-mile remote race can be completed anytime from Oct. 17 through Nov. 1. The marathon can be run and recorded from anywhere in the world through an app called My Strava. This virtual marathon program, which has been organizing races since 2018, has reliably hosted and recorded more than 150,000 total finishers.

Current Hawks senior Cassandra Williams hopes to compete in the marathon alongside her teammates after completing rehab from an injury. Williams joined Cavanagh in qualifying for the NCAA Division III National Championships in 2019.
 
In the midst of a year that has imparted a lonely aura for many, Cavanagh feels secure having her longtime teammate in tow to take on this challenge. She said, "qualifying for that race together was something we had been talking about for so long, and achieving it together was definitely a big highlight of my time at New Paltz. I'm so excited to have that feeling again after finishing a marathon with both Cassandra and Vanessa."
 
Now several months removed from running competitively at SUNY New Paltz, Morgan stated that if anything, developing and maintaining a training regimen was a significant takeaway from her time running for SUNY New Paltz. She went as far as to inform her coach that she was planning to run the marathon in order to prevent herself from backing out further into the process.
 
For Cavanagh, running has been a welcomed return to her routine.
 
"I've been running anywhere from 25-40 miles each week all summer, but for the past month or so I've been doing 30-35 miles a week," she explained. "Each week my long runs get a bit longer, and my longest run before the marathon will be 18 miles."
 
According to the former Hawks faithful, running this year's marathon will bring with it a plethora of unique circumstances. "The marathon this year is going to be a lot different because everyone who signed up will be doing it on whatever route or location they want to run it on, so everyone will be faced with their own unique challenges," Cavanagh said.
 
Neither Morgan or Cavanagh, who are planning to run the race on Oct. 28, have previously completed a full marathon. While each have set small benchmarks, such as Morgan's aspiration to keep an eight-minute pace per mile, the duo will simply strive for one goal; to finish.
"I have never trained for a race longer than [six kilometers]," said Cavanagh. "I'm very nervous but also excited to see how I will hold up with the longer mileage."
 
Of course, the familiarity that comes with running alongside her former teammate will be a significant help, the former Hawk concluded. 
Morgan and Cavanagh, armed with degrees in Biology and Painting/Drawing, respectively, each emphasized their pride in being able to balance academics and athletics while at SUNY New Paltz. Therefore, following this journey the pair aspire to continue improving themselves within and outside of the running circuit.
 
"After the marathon I am definitely going to take some time off from running but then start up again in a couple weeks, probably 20-30 miles per week.," Morgan said. "Right now, I work as a medical assistant, I will probably end up going to PA [Physician Assistant] school within the next couple years."
 
Cavanagh plans to use the marathon as a means to prepare for future races. Taking the lead of her older sister, who is also a competitive runner, she stated that longer races could be in her future.
"My older sister completed an Ultra marathon in New Paltz last year, and watching her do that was super inspiring, maybe one day we will get to do one together," she said.
 
Before embarking upon life's next adventure, the longtime teammates will cherish the opportunity to compete together one last time. Despite missing out on all the perks that come with the last leg of college, the NYC Virtual Marathon represents a unifying event that will make up for some those lost memories.
 
"One thing that I've learned while at New Paltz is that accomplishing a goal is always more fulfilling when you do it with someone by your side," Cavanagh said. "I'm so excited to have that feeling again after finishing a marathon with both Cassandra and Vanessa."
 
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