In terms of fitness and battling through cancer, exercise helps you stay strong physically and mentally.

When I came to New York in 1978, I was a full-time school teacher and track runner, and determined to retire from competitive running. But winning the New York City Marathon kept me running for another decade.

There is something about the ritual of the race - putting on the number, lining up, being timed - that brings out the best in us.

I don't think I would have been such a good runner if I hadn't enjoyed it.

My goal has always been to introduce other people to running. They might accomplish something they never thought they could.

What spurs a person to get more serious is highly individual, but I have found that no matter what a person's level of ability, motivation must come from within, or it will not last.

What Fred Lebow went through was an inspiration for me. You have to set goals for yourself.