Member Profiles

Anthony Celentano

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years". 

Abraham Lincoln

      What do you do when you need to lose about 50 pounds?  Take up running maybe?  Well, that's exactly what 44 year old Anthony Celentano did in 1976 and he hasn't stopped running since.  At 180 pounds, Tony decided it was time to lose some weight, so he went on Weight Watchers and started to run.  The weight came off very fast and he found a passion for running.

In 1977 he ran his very first race:  The 10 mile Stapleton Steeple Chase.  Does anyone remember that race?  In the same year, Tony completed the Jersey Shore marathon in 3:30.  Wow!  Do you think he caught the running bug?  Since then, he has completed 31 marathons:  Houston, Philadelphia, Marine Corp., Boston, Long Island, and of course New York, which he has done 16 times.  His fastest marathon was in NY in 1983 with a time of 3:14 and his slowest was also NY which was last year in 2002 with a net time of 4:59.  At the age of 55, Tony ran a 3:20 marathon in NY (Picture below).

       The half marathon or a 10 miler is Tony's favorite distance to run.  One of his favorite races is the Montclair, NJ 10K in June because of the scenic course.  Philadelphia is his favorite half marathon.  His fastest half marathon was run in Brooklyn with a time of 1:31.

       We have all heard one excuse or another as runners; some of us don't like that word at all.  If anyone had an excuse not to run the NYC marathon in 1995 it was Tony.  However, there were no excuses to be heard from him that day as he ran 4:06 just 17 days after his last radiation treatment for prostate cancer.

        Swimming laps and weight lifting are his choices for cross training.  A typical training week is 30-40 miles with a long run every Sunday.  For relaxation, Tony likes to watch any sport on TV.  He is the father of 3 daughters and 2 sons and the grandfather of 6.

       When asked if he had any advice for his fellow runners, he simply stated:  "Put one foot in front of the other".

       As an active member of SIAC for over 10 years, Tony is still competitive in his age group.  You will most likely see him at the Saturday morning fun runs, most local races on the island, and also in Central Park.  Always smiling and quick with a warm and friendly hello, Tony represents what many runners probably want to aspire to in their future running careers.  He truly is an inspiration.

Written by:  Lisa Rigolini