VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As we age, it can be more difficult for us to do the things we love.
But while some may opt to slow down, Steve Shapiro from Virginia Beach seems to be picking up the pace.
At 70 years old, he just completed 50 marathons in 50 states.
As a marathon runner myself, I was intrigued — and beyond impressed.
His hard work was apparent to me as we sat down to chat next to a table full of "race finisher" medals in his home.
“It's been a 25-year journey. I wouldn't trade a minute of any of it,” he says.
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He says the journey started decades ago when he decided to raise money to support a charity.
“I started wanting to help out a charity and at the same time, [I wanted to ] do a marathon because I had never done that before. Then I was hooked,” he laughs.
He was hooked, as most runners are — I can relate. And he has the medals to prove it.
Each customized award is a reminder of the thousands of miles he has walked and the thousands of dollars he has raised for charity.
“I'd heard about 'Team in Training', which is a way to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America,” he says. “My patient partner was a 13-year-old girl who had leukemia, but I would give her my medal after I finished the race.”
Shapiro has raised money, ran, and rallied for strangers, close friends, and even himself as he has battled cancer twice. Some races have had meaning and others were completed just for fun.
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Each time Shapiro crossed the finish line, people like Fred Talbott have taken notice.
“I realized that [he] immediately began to inspire me to continue doing athletic things,” says Fred Talbott, Shapiro’s friend.
At 76, Talbott says Shapiro has inspired him to walk around the neighborhood and spend time swimming.
“Most importantly, I heard that he helped people every time he did it, and that means everything. That's why I called you [and nominated him for an Everyday Hero Award],” Talbott told me.
For his selflessness, News 3 gave Shapiro an Everyday Hero Award and a $300 gift certificate from our partners at Southern Bank.
Living up to his reputation, Shapiro said he was thankful for the award but planned to donate the $300 to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.
From one marathoner to another, Shapiro’s gesture brought me to tears.
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I shared with Shapiro that I am running the New York City Marathon in November, which he has completed himself, in support of my mom who has Huntington’s disease. It’s a neurological disease, often described as having Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia at the same time.
There is no cure, although doctors are consistently doing research to learn more.
Every donation makes a difference in the fight. That's what inspires Shapiro to keep going.
“I'm blessed. I've got everything I need,” he says. “I'd rather give it to something that's going to make a difference.”
