Erica has completed 3 marathons and over 100 races. She will be running the NYC Marathon on November 5, 2023. The odds were not always in her favor, this is her story of RESILIENCE.
"MY FITNESS JOURNEY"
"I am a retired New York City Police Detective and a First Responder of the World Trade Center attack. After the attack I was suffering from shortness of breath, bloody nosebleeds and severe stomach pain. I felt defeated. I was unable to walk up the stairs without becoming short of breath. By 2014, I was fed up with my condition and I realized that I had to get back to the person that I had been before the World Trade Center attack.. I decided to do something about it and I joined the New York Sports Club."
"At the New York Sports Club, I met Laverne Glover who saved my life by introducing me to her Zumba and Body Conditioning classes. Laverne also introduced me to a group of women called Black Girls Run. I will never forget that cold New Years Day walking with a group of people who run no matter what the weather. With the help of Tammy Mays, Tonja McClain, Jennean Rogers, Sharon Hoskins and Shirel Johnson, the Ladies of Black Girls Run (Long Island), I was able to work my way up to a MARATHON! I started out very slowly with walking around the track a few nights per week. I then downloaded my first running app which tracked my miles, it also helped start my run/walk training with each few weeks increasing my running time. After successfully increasing my running skills, I joined Elitefeats Racing team, which helped keep me running. When my Mother passed away from Ovarian Cancer, I realized that running also helped me manage the stress and grief of losing her. Now I am taking the running a step further by attempting to run the six World Major Marathons in my Mothers name, Patricia Gaston. I have completed the Tokyo, Berlin and NYC marathons."
Erica Gaston
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