For the past 50 years, the New York City Marathon has grown from a local road race held entirely in Central Park to the world’s largest marathon. This year, Steve Bluhm from Point Loma will be participating, despite his own battle with ALS, joined by Bobby Imamura who will be pushing him in his wheelchair at the marathon on Sunday, Nov. 6.
Last year, Imamura ran the New York City Marathon while pushing his friend, Chris Beckette, with an astonishing finish time of 3:07. This time qualified Imamura for the Boston Marathon, but running and traveling cross-country became too painful for Beckette, so he had to bow out of the race. Imamura had hoped to run the race again for someone, which is when Bluhm came into contact with him.
Together, Imamura and Bluhm aim to raise awareness for ALS and inspire others to live life to the fullest, despite the debilitating disease. They will be flying out from the West Coast and running the NYC Marathon together, aiming to complete the race in 3 hours and 20 minutes – a feat for most normal runners who aren’t pushing someone in a wheelchair with a fatal disease.
“When I first heard about Beckette and Imamura doing marathons together it gave me goosebumps, and I was thrilled to get a chance to do this with Imamura myself. I was a runner for years, but I’ve never done a marathon. It’s incredible that I get to experience the New York City marathon at age 71,” said Bluhm. “I’m also excited to get a chance to help raise awareness of ALS and bring more attention to the people suffering from this disease, and all the medical professionals, volunteers, and family members that support them.”
Team ALS runners use their miles to make a difference by raising funds and awareness for the fight for a cure. In 2021, Team ALS marathoners raised nearly $350,000 to benefit the ALS community. The annual race welcomes participants from all over the world to experience and tour the diverse neighborhoods of NYC’s five boroughs — Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan.
“To see Imamura and Bluhm come together, it’s magical,” said Steve Becvar, vice president of Sports and Entertainment for the ALS Association. “They did not know each other prior to making the commitment to the NYC Marathon. However, they bonded right away. It’s as if they did know each other. Both are competitors, ALS is highly personal, and they are determined to impact this disease by completing the world’s largest marathon. It’s truly inspiring.”
Imamura and Bluhm are the perfect inspirational pairing. Imamura is a highly-awarded and well-loved calculus and computer science teacher – and an accomplished coach of the South High girls’ basketball team. Bluhm is a former coach and athlete as well. Imamura is providing a way for Bluhm to feel that drive and motivation again. The pair have been traveling back and forth to train together to be in sync on race day.
The pair of them two participating in the event will help to raise awareness for this progressive neurodegenerative disease and inspire people to live their lives to the fullest. To learn more about the ALS Association or the event, click here.
