Odyssey House is proud to be an official charity partner of the TCS New York City Marathon. This year, we have a group of five fantastic charity individuals running for recovery. Together, they have raised more than $17,000 for Odyssey House!
Get to know some of our runners below. If you’d like to support one of our charity runners, please click here to donate to their fundraising pages. And download the TCS NYC Marathon app to track their progress and send them virtual cheer cards!
Emily Sulanowski (Bib #15703)
A Rhode Island native and current New Jersey resident, Emily was connected to Odyssey House through her work as an architectural designer for supportive housing in New York. She is honored to run for such a great organization, whose mission is more critical than ever as New York and its residents work to recover from COVID. Training for her first marathon has been a welcome anchor and purpose through uncertain times.
“Supporting Odyssey House’s work has been a powerful motivator for me to get out and run on hard days. I am so excited to share this accomplishment with the rest of Odyssey House’s inspiring team!”
Eric Ratzlaff (Bib #9666)
Eric has always wanted to run the NYC Marathon. He signed up as a charity runner for Odyssey House because helping people overcome drug and alcohol abuse, improve their physical and mental health, and defeat homelessness are all causes near and dear to Eric.
“I am lucky to have a loving family, great friends, and a wonderful girlfriend, Jessi, all of whom support me and make me a better person, despite my shortcomings. Odyssey House is that same great support system to so many people in need. I am grateful to run for Team Odyssey!”
Molly Kozlowski (Bib #27380)
As a lifelong runner, participating in the New York City Marathon has always been on Molly’s bucket list. So far, she’s run three marathons, none of which were a part of a charity team.
“I can’t wait to make a positive impact on New York and the Odyssey House community, all while doing what I love!”
Eliza Ezrapour (Bib #13571)
Eliza is running for Odyssey House because of our commitment to providing holistic rehabilitation. Wrap-around services like housing support, education, job training, and medical care set the Odyssey House approach apart.
“I am grateful for the services Odyssey House provides to help New Yorkers find the best path to recovery!”
Olga Safonova (Bib #24842)
Olga Safonova is a loving wife and mother of two wonderful children, Tatiana and Roman. She started running during the pandemic lockdown in Russia. It was a difficult time, and running helped her cope with the stress and isolation. After six months of running, Olga finally decided to start training for a marathon.
“Running the New York Marathon is my dream, and it’s so close to becoming a reality! By participating in the marathon, I want to show my children that if you have the willpower and a big dream, you can make it come true. Helping and inspiring people through running is my mission.”