Getting KCFit for New York City Marathon

Training for a marathon is hard work, even with experience running half-marathons, but Avani Patel has some extra motivation as she prepares for this November’s New York City Marathon — KultureCity.

“I feel like I’m excited to run the full marathon because I’m running for a reason,” said Patel, who is running as part of KultureCity’s KCFit team. “And that’s what I was telling [KultureCity co-founder] Michele [Kong] and my family, is that the only reason I’ve signed up for this is because it’s a really good cause behind it.”

KultureCity is a nonprofit with its roots in the Birmingham area. It was started by Vestavia Hills residents Julian Maha and Michele Kong as a way to promote a sense of community and acceptance for individuals with autism, like their son. KCFit  is the “athletic arm” of KultureCity, Kong said, and is based on a platform that engages the community and families of autistic children through fitness and the promotion of health.

“The idea is that it’s extremely important to have a strong foundation of nutrition and fitness,” Kong said, adding that with that foundation, things such as medical care can be better provided.

When the Boston Marathon asked KultureCity to be part of its non-profit marathon program in 2016, Kong said they easily agreed. While she trained for the marathon with former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber, Kong said they had the idea of forming KCFit.

“That was sort of the genesis of KCFit because it was during that run that we were saying, ‘You love running. I love running” … but it’s even more fun because we’re running for KC.”

Patel has been a community partner with KultureCity for multiple years through her business, Avani Rupa, but this will be the first time she is a personal fundraiser. Kong approached her about joining the KCFit team for the NYC Marathon while they planned KultureBall, an annual fundraiser for KultureCity. To take part in the New York Marathon, runners typically have to qualify with a time of less than 3 hours — something Patel said she knew she couldn’t do — or have their name drawn through a lottery.

“I know some friends who have put their names in four, five, six times and still haven’t gotten the lottery,” she said. “With KultureCity, you join their KCFit team, you automatically get the bid, and then you have a minimum [amount to] raise.”

Her individual fundraising goal is $4,000, although she hopes to exceed that by November. Since KCFit kicked off, Kong said they have raised around $160,000. Money raised through marathon fundraising goes directly toward LifeBoks, a kit that is free to parents of autistic children and helps prevent injury from wandering. 

Getting individuals who are already active in addition to being passionate about KultureCity — like Patel — is a goal for KCFit, Kong said. They want to have these individuals involved so that they can not only fundraise for KultureCity, but give a greater presence to their cause.

“I think the New York Marathon is fantastic because it’s the biggest marathon,” Kong said. “It has over 50,000 runners, and we have a lot of families in New York, too.”

Patel was already thinking about training for the New York City Marathon in May, although she plans to start more intensive training in August. As she trains to take the longest distance she has run before — 13.1 miles in a half-marathon — and double that, Patel said her goal is to “finish healthy.” 

“I’m going to be exhausted no matter what, but I want to be exhausted to a level where I can recover, not hurting myself,” she said. “I run because I enjoy it. I run because it’s fun. And the day it doesn’t become fun, I don’t want to run.”

And while training will be tough, Patel said the idea of supporting a cause she is passionate about is pushing her through.

“I don’t know if I’d be able to do it without the cause,” she said. “A lot of the people who run for KCFit say they get through the last 6 miles — after the first 20 — because they’re thinking about the kids they’re influencing. I think the reason for running in definitely KultureCity.”

For more information on the KCFit team for the NYC Marathon, go to: crowdrise.com/kulturecitynyc2017/fundraiser/avanipatel3.