RESIDENCE: NEW YORK

Vanessa has lived in all five boroughs and views each one as a valuable part of her story. When she was 13 and her mother was struggling with addiction, her family was evicted from their Brooklyn home, and she moved in with her grandmother on Staten Island, where she truly found herself. While in college, she stayed with her father in the Bronx, moved to Queens after graduation, and has since built a life in Harlem.

What are you most excited about for the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic five-borough course?

“Having lived in all five boroughs, this course is more than a route to me, it is a map of my life. I am most excited to celebrate its 50th anniversary by walking through the city that raised me, surrounded by the people, stories, and extraordinary energy that make the TCS New York City Marathon unlike anything else in the world.”