Huntington Resident Roy Gordon Competes in Marine Corps Marathon

Four years ago, Roy Gordon was 46 years old and could barely run a mile. Now, four years, three marathons and an Ironman later, he has no plans of ever stopping.
Gordon, a Huntington resident, competed in the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 22 in Washington, DC. This was the fourth marathon he competed in, after running the New York City marathon twice as well as the marathon portion of the Lake Placid Ironman.
Gordon was inspired to participate in the Marine Corps Marathon because his father was a former Marine. In fact, Gordon’s 77-year-old father traveled with him from Long Island to DC to support his son and the other participants.
Gordon, now 50, decided to take up running as a way to get in better shape, but what started as an occasional exercise outlet has quickly transformed into a passion. Gordon said that while he may have started running as a way to gain control over his own health, he chooses to keep running for his family, or more specifically, his three young children. He wants to instill in them a sense of commitment and how important it is to follow through on everything you start. And even though she admits to laughing in disbelief the first time her husband told her he was thinking about running a 5k, Gordon’s wife Celia has attended dozens of his races over the last four years. Celia Gordon is a yoga instructor in Huntington, but after noticing the joy her husband finds in running, she has recently started running more, too.
“It’s been amazing to see the progression over the last few years,” Celia Gordon said. “Watching him go through this has really been inspiring.”
Recently, Gordon has decided to share his passion for running not only with his family, but also with members of his community. Through Lifetime Fitness in Syosset, NY, Gordon has started his own running club for adults aged 40-70. Their first endeavor as a club was a “couch to 5k” challenge. Local adults who had never run before starting meeting at Syosset High School a few times a week to run. Under Gordon’s leadership, the group began training for the Oyster Bay 5k.
One of Gordon’s friends, Lenny Shomberg of East Northport, has recently gotten into running himself because of Gordon’s new running club. As of eight weeks ago, when the club started meeting at Syosset High School to train for the Oyster Bay 5k, Stromberg had never seriously run before. After the first training session led by Gordon, Stromberg jokingly revealed in his thick Long Island accent that he was “ready to die” by the time they were finished. However, only two months later, every single member of the Run Club not only finished the 5k they were training for but also waited for each at the finish line. Stromberg attributes this partially to the training Gordon put them all through but more so to the sense of camaraderie that Gordon instilled in them.
“Roy really made the club into a team where we all care about each other. You don’t always get that in running, but Roy made this really special,” Stromberg said.
Gordon, or “the Beast,” as Stromberg affectionately calls him, is looking forward to helping the club continue to grow and develop during the next year, especially since one of the big goals for the group is to participate in the Cow Harbor 10k next fall. In the meantime, many members of the club have already registered to run in the Huntington Turkey Trot together on Thanksgiving.
In the days before the race, Gordon was focused on preparing to go with his father to DC for the historic Marine Corps Marathon. In terms of preparation, Gordon was not particularly concerned with what he put on his body but rather what he put in it. While he may not have been terribly concerned with picking out a specific outfit for the race, Gordon did have his “Infinit” energy powder packs ready to go. After hearing about Infinit Nutrition through an ad on Facebook, Gordon decided to give the powders a try and now swears by them, insisting that by drinking one water bottle mixed with the powder every hour, his legs can make it through the race without cramping.
Outside of his running career, Gordon is an trial lawyer at his own firm, Costella & Gordon LLP. Gordon says that he uses running as a way to unwind and destress after long days at the office. Similarly, Gordon never uses headphones during his runs because he thinks of running as a meditative exercise, and prefers to focus on his surrounding rather than listen to music.
Even though he was hoping to shave a few minutes off his time, Gordon’s first priority has never been to be the fastest runner on the course.
“I really do it for my kids. I want them to see that even though I know I won’t be on the podium, I’m still going to finish the race somehow, one foot in front of the other,” Gordon said.
Despite the months of preparation and anticipation leading up to the Marine Corps marathon, Gordon is already looking ahead. Immediately after the race, his plans included dinner and a beer with his dad and some friends in DC. Long term, however, Gordon is already thinking of other marathons he can run in that will help him reach his ultimate goal: qualify for the Boston Marathon.