Running down a dream

Training for a marathon is physically and mentally challenging but doing it with a team can be motivating and make it an enjoyable experience. Four Yale Hospitality staff members decided on a lark in 2022 that they would run in the 2024 TSC New York City Marathon. Their journey to the end of the 26.2-mile race started in the fall of 2022 when Jean Michel Mange and Eyer “Paul” Medina ran in the Branford Thanksgiving 5k.

Jean Michel Mange, Paul Medina, and Alex Garland-Telford picked up their race packets together.

“I box to keep fit. Paul plays soccer. It was our first 5k. We got caught up in the excitement, and I said, ‘Let’s try running a marathon,’” said Mange, maître d in Yale Catering.

The team takes shape

As their unofficial captain, Mange began looking into qualifying and recruiting others, including Alex Garland-Telford, catering captain at the Yale School of Management, who Mange knew was an avid cyclist. While Mange, Medina, and Garland-Telford were signing up for local races, contemplating training techniques, buying better footwear, and becoming absorbed in their new sport, Leanna Millan was getting ready for her first day of work at Yale.

Millan had just moved from New Orleans and was on a tour with her supervisor when she met Mange. “It’s my first day. I’m being introduced to teammates. Jean Michel shakes my hand and asks if I want to join the team and run in the New York City Marathon,” says Millan, assistant director of Yale Catering. Millan said yes on the spot.

Training and qualifying

Once the newly minted team set their sights on running the New York City Marathon, they researched how to qualify. They decided on the 9+1 program, which requires individuals to complete nine qualifying races in New York and volunteer at an additional one. By December 2023, they all had successfully qualified.

While they did the qualifying runs together or in pairs, training was done on their own. Each person devised a training plan and used Strava to track their runs and progress. Medina, a culinary support center driver for Yale Catering, ran at least 6 miles daily, slowly increasing that distance as the race neared. Before the marathon, Medina and Garland-Telford’s longest runs were about 10 miles, while Mange logged a 24-miler.

Millan used a training app and chose an 18-week program running five times a week. “I hadn’t run in a few years. Getting started was tough, but the four of us bonded throughout this process,” Millan comments.

Everyone ran at a different pace, but the idea was to do it together. “We will all go to the city the night before and get our numbers together. It’s a staggered start, but we will meet at the end to celebrate,” said Mange of their plans.

Injuries and one deferral

With qualifications behind them and training in full swing, the talk turned to day-of logistics and their personal goals. Everyone would be starting in different waves (based on goal pace), but they planned to meet at the end to celebrate.

Then came the injuries, the birth of a child, and one postponement.

Mange and Medina both sustained injuries. Garland-Telford got hurt in a non-running-related incident and was off his feet for two months. Millan, because of ongoing health concerns and personal commitments, couldn’t keep up with the training schedule and reluctantly deferred until 2025.

Nelson raised enough funds from supportive colleagues and family members to cover the cost of uniforms and registration fees.

Medina’s injury was in early 2024, and he and his wife Melanie welcomed their first child, Uriel, in July. While he kept up his training and hoped to finish in under 4 hours, being a new dad came first. “Going into the race, I felt prepared, but I was nervous,” said Medina.

Garland-Telford, who felt strong before his injury, couldn’t train in August or September. “I only had one month to prepare after getting hurt. At that point, my goal was to finish and enjoy the overall experience,” he said.

Over the past year, Mange has had several injuries and came down with pneumonia in September. “We’ve had some bad luck with injuries, but that didn’t stop us. I’ve had great care and support from the Yale Health team,” he commented.

Supportive colleagues

Leading up to the marathon, the team was encouraged by their colleagues. Elizabeth Nelson, managing director at Yale Catering, was their biggest fan. When she heard that the four Hospitality teammates would be running in the marathon, she immediately offered help.

Nelson raised enough funds from supportive colleagues and family members — including her own parents — to cover the cost of uniforms and registration fees. “I’m so excited for them and will be waiting at the finish line with bananas and bourbon,” quipped Nelson shortly before race day.

Mange and Garland-Telford show off their medals with Elizabeth Nelson, managing director at Yale Catering.

The finish line

On November 3, the team wore their matching shirts, and a large Yale cheering section supported them along the course with pom poms and placards.

The runners got up at 6 a.m. and took the subway, Staten Island Ferry, and shuttle to the starting line at Fort Wadsworth. Once there, they and 56,000 other competitors listened to the Star-Spangled Banner, waited for the sound of the cannon, and began their journey to the strains of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”

Members from Yale Hospitality rode the train to New York City to support the team.

After a chilly morning, Mange, Garland-Telford, and Medina ran under cloudless, sunny skies. The route took them past thousands of spectators as they ran across the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, then up to Queens, over to Manhattan, up into the Bronx and back down to finish at West 67th Street in Central Park.

At about mile 24, several family members and colleagues waited, ready to cheer and high-five. But the race was not without its challenges. For Mange, it was surprisingly hilly. Medina’s legs started to cramp up halfway through the run, and foot pain plagued Garland-Telford at mile 15.

Yale Hospitality’s Shakilah Phillip is ready to cheer on her colleagues.

After crossing the finish line, they proudly received their medals and joined their cheering squad for a celebratory feast. In the days that followed, they nursed their sore legs and contemplated their individual experiences.

Medina’s favorite part was the ferry ride and feeling the “energy of the other runners,” the sound of the cannon, loud cheering, and the support and encouragement from strangers. His run has inspired friends and family, and he hopes to guide them through training for the 2026 marathon.

Medina and Mange are all smiles after finishing the race.

Garland-Telford recounted the intense crowd support, the dancing, and the joyful noise. The inspiration he felt from it was “like I was witnessing humanity at its finest moment.” He wants to “continue to spread the joy of running.”

For Mange, it felt like a big hug from thousands of people. He loved seeing the diversity of each neighborhood and hearing the crowd roar as he ran by. He was thrilled to see his friends from Yale smiling and cheering. The whole day was “electric” and made him “love New York and America even more.”

They all hope to run again in 2026.

Postscript

Millan, scheduled to run in 2025, will not be alone. She met two other Yale staff members who will join her.