They’re adding a fourth R — reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic and running.
A team of Staten Island grade-school teachers who formed a running club during the pandemic will step up to the big time next week when they race at the TCS New York City Marathon.
The trio from PS 9 in Concord picked up the habit in September 2021.
“It was the safest thing that you could do and got us out of our house,” said speech therapist Gina-Marie Principe, 35, the only one who had high school running experience. “We just found it was amazing for our mental health.”
The threesome decided to take the grueling 26.2-mile plunge in January.
“It did just seem like a dream,” Principe recalled. But eventually they were running up to 35 miles a week.
Joining Principe on Nov. 6 will be first-grade teacher Deni Marie Crowley, 34, and third-grade instructor Amanda Buatti, 39, who explained how each plays a role in training.
“Gina’s the motivation. Deni is the person that executes it, and I was the one that read the books on … what plan we should follow,” said the mom of two from Great Kills.
The PS 9 teachers started running together in September 2021.
“They told me they want more hills and I added a lot more hills … and after that day, they did not want to speak to me,” joked Crowley, of Pleasant Plains.
Principe, a Prince’s Bay resident, sends inspirational messages at the crack of dawn.
“The first text can go out — I’ve had to stop myself — at like 5:30 am,” she said.
The women are running for Michael’s Cause, which benefits Michael Capolongo, a 16-year-old junior from Tottenville High School with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder.
Running became a mission for the educators.
The trio are running to support Michael’s Cause, which benefits Tottenville High School junior Michael Capolongo who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
“We’ve all ran at 4:30 in the morning, at night on the treadmill,” said Principe, who has a 7-year-old son. “I’ve ran with my son on the stoop and I just go back and forth.”
They even train during lunchtime — with their students waving to them from the playground.
“I have a student that asks me all the time, ‘How many more days left until the marathon?’” said Principe, who printed out the marathon’s course — along with pictures of her students running — which she incorporates into her lessons.
Principe has incorporated the race course and marathon into her lessons. Instagram“As they achieve progress … they move throughout the course,” she explained.
The threesome hopes their determination sets an example for the little learners, who made the women homemade beaded and loom bracelets to wear during the race.
“We’re showing them to persevere through the tough times,” said Crowley, who has lost 80 pounds during her pandemic regimen. “When I come in tired, they’re like, ‘Did you run long?’”
Their goal now, beyond finishing the marathon within five hours, is to stay together during the race.
“We’re going to try really hard to run as long as we possibly can together … if one of us is going to hit the wall, the other ones will be able to pull them through,” said Buatti.
