The Endometriosis Foundation of America is officially entering its 8th year as an official charity partner with the TCS New York City Marathon. This year, we are thrilled to announce that we have a record 50+ runners in the marathon! The personal connection to endometriosis has motivated our runners to take on the challenge of running the most famous 26.2 miles in the world. We are so excited to represent the endometriosis community on an international stage. As each story is unique, we encourage you to read each of our runners' stories and help them reach their fundraising goals. Want to support the team as a whole? Visit our Team EndoStrong fundraising page.
Elise Noonan
Current Home: Boston, MA
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Charles River Esplanade!
Favorite Food: Pasta
Why Team EndoFound? I first-hand know the physical and emotional toll endometriosis can cause—I was diagnosed at 21 after years of dealing with incapacitating pain that completely affected my quality of life. This invisible disease deserves so much more awareness and funding to make a difference for those, like myself, who are impacted by endometriosis.
Katia Naccarello
Current Home: Born, raised, and currently live in Montreal, Canada
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Le petit train du nord (French for small northern train) linear bike path that runs 234 km long (145 miles)
Favorite Food: Chocolate-covered almonds, chocolate dipped soft serve, and dark chocolate
Why Team EndoFound? I decided to support Team EndoFound to shed light on women’s health issues.
Lisa Liberatore
Current Home: Los Angeles
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Along the beach
Favorite Food: Fruit salad
Why Team EndoFound? I want to help support research, education, and the development of effective treatments and better outcomes for women who have endometriosis. Seeing my daughter dealing with both the pain and disabling impacts of endometriosis and the difficulty in finding treatment and relief motivates me to do my part to help raise awareness and to ensure that women's health is a priority.
Sarah Coburn
Current Home: Mancos, CO
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Willow Lake Loop, Snowmass, CO
Favorite Food: Tacos
Why Team EndoFound? I am running for Team EndoFound because I have endometriosis and so does my best friend. I am running to raise awareness, raise money for research, and show love to all the women out there who struggle with this devastating disease every single day.
Megan Gorman
Current Home: Staten Island, NY.
Favorite Running Path/Trail: White Haven, Pennsylvania
Favorite Food: Vegan donuts
Why Team EndoFound? Team EndoFound has helped save my life in more ways than one. After struggling with this invisible disease since I was 16 and the constant barriers it sets in my life, I am empowered more than ever to run for not only myself but for every women who is affected by this horrible diagnosis.
Susan Young
Current Home: Cambridge, MA
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Charles River, or an improvised route that takes me to a new place, guarantees a bit more shade, and gets me to the mileage I need for that day's goal
Favorite Food: Pizza
Why Team EndoFound? Endometriosis affects an estimated 200 million women worldwide (I am one!). Everyone benefits from the work of EndoFound, which targets progress across research, awareness, education, and advocacy. If through my effort here, people learn more about endometriosis and/or the work of EndoFound, I will consider this whole endeavor a resounding success!
Tazle Markovich
Current Home: Laramie, Wyoming
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Any trail in the mountains
Favorite Food: Tacos
Why Team EndoFound? As a medical student I think that it is important to be involved outside of direct patient care and this is a great opportunity to support a crucial organization doing incredible work.
Boston Bautista
Current Home: Palo Alto, California
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Kapalua Village Walking Trails, Maui, HI
Favorite Food: Omelette
Why Team EndoFound? To advance medical research for endometriosis and woman's health!
Joseph Tanzi
Current Home: Randolph, NJ
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Sunken Meadow State Park, Kings Park, NY
Favorite Food: Grilled octopus - the perfect lean protein!
Why Team EndoFound? I’m running for my wife, Alexandra, my favorite #EndoWarrior. Last year, after many years of discomfort and misdiagnosis, we were able to get proper care and a path forward. As a charity partner I hope to drive funds to the foundation which can be used to create more awareness and help with the advocacy of women’s health.
Christian Guevara
Current Home: Houston Texas
Favorite Running Path/Trail: I don’t have a favorite running trail. I just make up my running route as I go
Favorite Food: Steak
Why Team EndoFound? I choose Team EndoFound because this past year my wife was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis. I want to support her and the endo community any way I can. I hope that the funds we raise help raise awareness about endometriosis and can help to one day find a cure.
Taylor Schumann
Current Home: Currently live in South Carolina but I'm travel nursing so it might change
Favorite Running Path/Trail: A secluded trail behind my apartment in South Carolina, unsure of the name
Favorite Food: Steak and potatoes
Why Team EndoFound? Endometriosis is something I relate to and I'm passionate about others getting the help they need.
Natalie Miller
Current Home: Laramie, WY
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Happy Jack Trails outside of Laramie, WY
Favorite Food: Cheese, wine, and focaccia!
Why Team EndoFound? Many of my close friends and family members have struggled with endometriosis. I want to support these women and the research and education efforts that will make the journey more bearable for so many others.
George Boutsalis
Current Home: Toronto, Canada
Favorite Running Path/Trail: The Las Vegas Strip
Favorite Food: Pizza
Why Team EndoFound? Running for EndoStrong because of how close to home the cause is. My sister-in-law underwent a long battle with endo and was finally able to have her surgery last year. For years her doctors told her “it was nothing to worry about” despite being bed ridden for almost a year in her late 20s. Seeing her take her care into her own hands, educate herself and seek out treatment from one of the top clinics was an eye opening experience for me and I wanted to do my part to bring awareness to this disease in hopes that young women like her don’t lose valuable years from their life.
Rebekah Shoaf
Current Home: South Bronx, NYC
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Venetian Causeway in Miami
Favorite Food: Perfectly roasted butternut squash
Why Team EndoFound? I was diagnosed with Stage IV endo in 2013 and have spent almost ten years learning to manage and heal this chronic condition. Exercise has been a huge part of that journey, so I knew that Team EndoFound was the community I wanted to support and be supported by as I tackle the challenge of running my first marathon.
Andrea Pungoti
Current Home: Seattle, WA
Favorite Running Path/Trail: the Burke-Gilman in Seattle
Favorite Food: French fries
Why Team EndoFound? My best friend/soul sister is an endometriosis warrior and just had a hysterectomy at 38 after countless surgeries, 3 brutal IVF pregnancies and battling this disease since she was 12 years old. To bring awareness to this disease and raise money for research and education is so incredibly important.
Puja Karki
Current Home: Los Angeles, California
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Silver Lake Reservoir
Favorite Food: Homemade pasta by my husband
Why Team EndoFound? I had a hysterectomy last January for fibroids. I met a lot of women on online support groups during my recovery who had undergone hysterectomies for endometriosis. I wanted to support a charity that supports and promotes women’s health and well-being and EndoFound came closest to what I was looking for. I am a nurse anesthetist and do anesthesia for a lot of gynecological surgeries. So running NYC marathon with EndoFound is to honor health, healing, women, and my patients!
Charlotte Ghigliazza
Current Home: NYC
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Running by the bay in San Francisco
Favorite Food: Dumplings—any kind or national origin. I have never met a dumpling I did not like
Why Team EndoFound? My mother and many other women in my family have suffered from this under-researched and poorly understood condition. So I run for them, some of the toughest and most loving women I have known.
Nicoleta Cougentakis
Current Home: Upper Brookville
Favorite Running Path/Trail: I don’t actually LIKE running
Favorite Food: Pasta
Why Team EndoFound? I am stage four endometriosis and adenomyosis, I have one tube left. Dr. Seckin is my specialist
Sonia Weimann
Current Home: South Whitehall, PA
Favorite Running Path/Trail: I love running in a park near my home that has art, a rose garden, and a beautiful trail outside to run on
Favorite Food: Seafood
Why Team EndoFound? I am an endometriosis survivor. Because of misdiagnosis I spent three years in pain and in and out of hospitals and almost died several times. I have run marathons before and I want to help contribute funds and awareness to this vital women's health issue.
Laura Stamp
Current Home: I'm fairly itinerant at the moment, but I'd say Twisp, WA feels most like home these days
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Lion's Lair in Boulder, CO
Favorite Food: A really good plate of tofu Pad Thai
Why Team EndoFound? As a medical student and avid runner, running for EndoFound feels like a perfect way to bring awareness and make an impact.
Allison Williams
Current Home: Atlanta, GA
Favorite Food: Tied between pizza and nachos
Why Team EndoFound? I was diagnosed with endo when I had an ovarian cyst burst in 2014. I had been complaining of pain, heavy bleeding, and illness prior and during menstruation since 1994, and kept being told to suck it up because that was part of being a woman. At the time I was diagnosed, I didn't even know what it meant. 20 years of being told that it was normal to be in so much pain when it wasn't definitely showed me endometriosis needs more visibility. Women/people with uteruses shouldn't have to think that if they could pull their uterus out of their body anyway possible, and it would have to alleviate the pain is ever a natural thought. I have run a marathon on a fractured pelvis. I still think endometriosis flaring up once a month was more painful. This marathon, I plan to do it healthy.
Grace Thee
Current Home: Boca Raton, FL.
Favorite Running Path/Trail: A1A by the beach
Favorite Food: TexMex—I’m originally from Texas
Why Team EndoFound? I believe in the importance of raising awareness about endometriosis and raising funds! I have been impacted by endometriosis personally and it’s a cause that is near to my heart.
Danielle Villmann
Current Home: Monroe, NY
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Anywhere there’s a boardwalk
Favorite Food: S’mores
Why Team EndoFound? Undiagnosed endometriosis led to years of infertility treatments that really took a toll on me physically and mentally. Running has helped me get back in control of my health, so when I saw that the Endometriosis Foundation was looking for runners for the NYC Marathon (a bucket list item for me), it just made sense!
Ampee H. Villamor
Current Home: Elk Grove, California
Favorite Running Path/Trail: American River trail
Favorite Food: Steak and Japanese food
Why Team EndoFound? As luck would have it, I am one of 10 women who suffers from endometriosis. In 2008 (at the age of 33), after years of painful monthly periods and cramps and while going through fertility work ups, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. Despite surgery, hormone therapy and medicines following surgery, my endometriosis most likely still got in the way of me getting pregnant. Had I become aware of this disease early on, I could have done something about it. I didn’t know about the disease until I was diagnosed with it. I now want to help women like me to be aware about the impacts of endometriosis.
Michelle Valenti
Current Home: Melville NY.
Favorite Running Path/Trail: West Hills Trail
Favorite Food: Pizza
Why Team EndoFound? In honor of my best friend Nicole who is stage 4.
Catalina Lopez
Current Home: Long Island, NY
Favorite Food: Breakfast
Why Team EndoFound? Running and fitness has always played a huge role in my life and since I joined a new gym last year in preparation for last years marathon I met Nicole who is an endo warrior and has become an important person in my life. I’m honored to be running this race with her and in her honor.
Tess Benson
Current Home: I currently live in Boston, Massachusetts
Favorite Running Path/Trail: EASILY running along the Charles River in Boston, you truly can't beat it!
Favorite Food: My favorite food is plain spaghetti
Why Team EndoFound? I chose Team EndoFound for a few reasons. The first is that my family has been personally affected by endometriosis. I am one of four daughters and one of my sisters has endometriosis which I really didn't know a lot about until she was diagnosed with it a few years ago. Since that time I've learned a lot more about it, the shockingly high prevalence of it, and witnessed firsthand how much pain it can bring both physically and emotionally. As I've become more vocalized about it and my sister's experiences, I've had several close friends reach out to me sharing their own experiences with endometriosis. The second reason is I'm incredibly interested in women's health and have fully pivoted my career path from civil engineer to women's health Nurse Practitioner (eventually). I'm currently in nursing school with the eventual goal of being a Nurse Practitioner in the women's health field (expected NP graduation December 2024).
Katrina Harmaty
Current Home: Fort Myers, Florida although I was born and raised in Rockaway Beach, Queens, NY
Favorite Running Path/Trail: I am not an endurance runner and actually enjoy running the one mile loop in my community so I can set up water and food, not to mention easy access to a bathroom
Favorite Food: I generally eat pretty healthy but rarely go a day without eating ice cream
Why Team EndoFound? I am running with team EndoFound, because in December 2017, Dr. Seckin excised my endometriosis and gave me my life back! I started to feel much better, including no more painful periods, heavy menstruation or IBS symptoms. So when asked to run in 2020, I wanted to be a testament to life with endometriosis. Unfortunately, 2020 didn't happen because of our country's pandemic, but I'm actually happy about the delay. Late last year, my husband and I had our miracle baby Quinn and she gives this run even more purpose in 2022.
Caitlin Kinney
Current Home: Carbondale Colorado
Favorite Food: Thai Food
Why Team EndoFound? I have battled endometriosis for the past 5+ years. I endured a lot of physical and mental pain, and recently underwent surgery in the past year with Dr. Brian Nelson out of Longmont, CO and finally got relief after years of pain. Since, I finally feel like myself again, I am running this marathon alongside my best friend, Sarah Coburn who also has endo, in order to give back and raise money for the disease that caused us a ton of struggle. I want more women to get help, be diagnosed sooner, and to strive towards finding a cure!
Ben Corwin
Current Home: Twisp, WA
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Enchantments Loop in Leavenworth, WA
Favorite Food: Gnocchi
Why Team EndoFound? Excited to join my wife and her medical school classmates in making an impact on this disease.
Savanna Frazier
Current Home: Plymouth, MA
Favorite Running Path/Trail: Cape Cod Canal
Favorite Food: Eggs with a sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning/red pepper flakes and sourdough toast
Why Team EndoFound? My sister is living with endo and I am a pelvic health physical therapist who has worked with a good amount of people with endo. Doing this for them and to bring awareness to the public and healthcare community!
Samantha Levy
Current Home: Wappingers Falls, NY
Favorite Running Path/Trail: South County Trailway. It has the perfect amount of shade during the summer months, not as much foot traffic in comparison to other trails and an amazing scenery so you will never get bored
Favorite Food: My aunt’s Jamaican Rundown with boiled dumpling and festival
Why Team EndoFound? I suffer from stage IV endometriosis and adenomyosis. I may never have children, because of this disease. I want to help bring more awareness to the issue. Additionally, I hope with awareness and funding surgeons become more educated in treating the disease over the symptoms. The best care I have ever received was by Dr. Sinervo at the CEC in Atlanta. His team is amazing and I can’t thank them enough.
