ISBN Board Member Peter Mahoney and his wife Tracy have run nine marathons together in North American and Europe. When they started discussing running the 2015 New York City Marathon on November 1, 2015, their kids—Jeff (24), Katie (22) and Chris (26), plus Chris’s friend Breanne (25)—got the running bug to join them. That offered the perfect opportunity for the family to spend more time together, while working toward their goals.
They started by running a half marathon in May, then began training together in June for the full marathon.
“With our crazy schedules, we trained in pairs or alone during the week and then did our long runs (14 to 20 miles) together on Sundays,” says Peter, who founded The Head Shoppe group of salons in Canada, and is president of Summit Salon Business Centre and Salon Resource Group. “We would always follow that up with brunch and family time together. The whole journey was a great family experience and I think really instilled in my kids the importance of commitment and perseverance. Working through the injuries, the long runs in the heat and all the other obstacles along the way—not the least of which was getting lost on the bus on the way to the start line—brought us closer together. In the end, we made it and have a story to tell that we will never forget!!”
He adds, “We all strive and work hard to be successful at what we do, but sharing experiences like this and all the amazing moments that come with it with my family is what truly makes my life complete.”
