Why I'm Running the NYC Marathon for PWS Research

This November, I’ll run my first-ever marathon in New York City—not just as a test of endurance, but also as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a rare genetic disease that impacts my son Ari and thousands of other children around the world. 

PWS is a serious condition that affects development, muscle tone, cognition, metabolism, and much more. One of its most devastating features is “hyperphagia,” an unrelenting hunger that can lead to impaired cognition, debilitating anxiety, and morbid obesity.

That’s why I’m running to raise money for the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR), a remarkable nonprofit working to eliminate the challenges of PWS through research and therapeutic advancement. 

👉 Support Team Ari at the NYC Marathon

If you’d like to support us, you can donate using the link above. Otherwise, read on to learn more about why I’ve decided to take on this particular challenge, and why now.

My love-hate relationship with running

I have always had a complicated relationship with running. In high school, I was a competitive cross-country and track athlete, with dreams of running in college. But just two weeks before my freshman year, a knee injury ended those plans. I haven’t raced competitively since.

Still, the love of outdoor sports and endurance athletics never left me. Over the years I poured it into mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, skiing, and other ways to get outside, push limits, and find rhythm in movement. But running remained unfinished business, a piece of my identity I wanted to rediscover but didn't.

The places I lived didn’t help. I spent most of the 2010s in Asian megacities such as Bangkok, Manila, and Ho Chi Minh City, where poor air quality, heavy traffic, and limited outdoor green space made serious training difficult. I mostly kept fit by going to gyms and lifting weights. Running was rarely a part of my routine. 

When I moved to Singapore in 2018, I began running more regularly, but rarely more than a few miles at a time. Singapore has wonderful parks and quiet roads that are great for running, but its heat and humidity made longer training tough. 

Moving to the San Francisco Bay Area

Last year, my wife and I made a life-changing decision: we both left our jobs in Singapore and moved to the United States, where we felt Ari would get better medical care and community support. After considering many different places, we ended up in the San Francisco Bay Area.

One big reason we chose California was that I wanted to give Ari the chance to experience the outdoors more fully, and give myself the chance to rediscover endurance athletics. The Bay Area trails have become a new home not just for my running, but for our family’s connection to the outdoors.

Since moving here in mid-2024, those trails have helped me hone my fitness, but I never planned to start training for a marathon. Then earlier this year, I ran a local 5k on a lark, and immediately felt something click. That race reminded me of what running had once meant to me, and how it could be part of this new chapter.

Part of the inspiration was imagining how I might one day share my love of endurance athletics with my son. With PWS, that path will be harder, but not impossible. Ari has scoliosis and weak muscle tone, but he also loves being outside and running around. That gives me hope.

Building toward New York 

To prepare for the New York City Marathon, I’ve been gradually building my mileage, while also doing weekly strides, plyometrics, cross-training, and weight work. So far the training is going well, though I know I need to stay ready for the unexpected.

I’ve also set a goal of running a half marathon every two weeks before starting the final taper in mid-to-late October. My first was the Summer Breeze Half Marathon in San Leandro on August 2. At the time, my longest run had only been 8 miles, so it was a milestone just to finish, but I was happy to clock in at a little under 2 hours. 

On August 16, I ran my second: the Beer City Half Marathon in Fremont. Despite slotting it in at the end of a heavier training week, I was ecstatic to drop my time down to 1:48:45. The progression is giving me confidence that I’m not just logging miles but actually getting stronger.

After Beer City, I shifted my focus to trail half marathons to build strength and resilience. Since then I’ve run two: the Crystal Springs Trail Run in Woodside on August 31 and the Honey Badger Half in San Rafael on September 14.

Not every race went to plan. At the Dick Collins Firetrails 30K on September 27, a pesky little foot issue led me to fold after just 4 miles. My first DNF stung, but it also reminded me that setbacks are part of the process. Fortunately, I made up for it with strong training in the days that followed, keeping me on track for New York.

The marathon as metaphor

For me, the New York City Marathon is more than a race. It’s a symbol of the persistence, resilience, and community it takes to overcome obstacles and achieve special goals.

PWS brings profound challenges that touch every part of life, but research is opening new doors. Promising therapies are advancing, clinical trials are underway, and organizations like FPWR are driving progress toward real solutions.

That’s why I’m asking for your support. Together, we can fuel the science that will change lives. Every donation makes a difference. 

👉 Support Team Ari at the NYC Marathon