Sanitation worker Chris Di Niso shares how he ran the NYC Marathon right after a 12-hour night shift
NEW YORK (WABC) – Chris Di Niso is one of New York City’s strongest, a sanitation worker who will move through the five boroughs on Marathon Sunday.
Di Niso was born and raised on Staten Island. He is a veteran of the TCS New York City Marathon.
“It’s nice to see a lot of Staten Island while I’m out there,” Di Niso said.
This will be her eighth race, but this year stands out.
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“Everyone at work thinks I’m crazy, but that’s the only way to do it right, so I did it,” Di Niso said.
In 2021, there was a staff shortage due to the pandemic, so Chris took on an extra shift from 7 p.m. the evening before the marathon.
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“Right from work I took the train, the ferry, the ferry over to the bus at the start of the village, literally grabbed a bagel and tea and got into the crowd right before closing time and then I ran the race,” said Di Niso. “You get to mile 16, you’re tired, and you think, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.'”
Now Chris runs approximately 2,000 miles each year and, along with her fiancée Dawn, is passionate about getting more people involved in a sport they love.
Since 2016, they have met with other runners every Sunday at Conference House Park on Staten Island for the New York Road Runner’s Open Run.
The community-based program offers free weekly runs and walks at 16 locations across the five boroughs and New Jersey. “On Thursdays I do five miles, on Fridays I do that, on Sundays I do three,” Di Niso said.
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Chris says crowds are a city’s secret ingredient to a great marathon location.
“Wherever you go you get a high five from random people, the whole crowd wants you to succeed, which is nice, it’s definitely a great feeling,” Di Niso said.
WATCH: The 2023 TCS New York City Marathon airs Sunday, November 5 starting at 7 p.m. on ABC 7
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