NYC Marathon volunteer has helped runners chase glory for 50 years

By Elissa Candiotti

October 30, 2026 / 6:00 AM EDT / CBS News

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As nearly 60,000 runners take on the 26.2-mile course of the iconic New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 1, all eyes will be on the finish line. But ask Joanne Navarra and she'll tell you the real magic happens at the start, where the full spectrum of the human experience unfolds.

"You know, it's more exciting than the finish because you have everybody at one time, you know, and it's like an adrenaline rush," Navarra said.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the marathon's five-borough course. It's a milestone that holds special meaning for Navarra, who is celebrating 50 years as the head volunteer at the race's start village at Fort Wadsworth.

"I would never have thought the first year I was there, I'd still be doing this 50 years later, but I enjoy it," she said.

On Oct. 24, 1976, as part of New York City's celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial, the marathon's starting line moved from Central Park to Staten Island, sending runners across five bridges and through all five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan. 

At the time, the event looked nothing like the sprawling start village runners see today — only 2,090 participants took part, paying a $5 entry fee, supported by a small group of volunteers.

"It was like just a local race. You went to Fort Wadsworth and you signed up to run. My husband wanted to run. I said, 'You're out of your mind. What are you talking about?'" Navarra recalled. "I said, 'Well, what am I going to do?' So I started volunteering and helping them."

She had no idea the event would ultimately represent the starting line to a new life adventure for her and her husband Victor, a New York City Fire Department lieutenant, for decades to come.

"It just grew bigger and bigger, and our roles grew bigger and bigger," Navarra said. "And I think it was like maybe after about three years, [race co-founder and organizer] Fred Lebow said, 'You guys can run the whole start.' And that's what we did."

She's even competed in the marathon herself a few times — volunteering in the early morning first, and then hustling to the back of the startling line right after.

Over the years, the Navarras helped New York Road Runners transform race-day logistics into a well-coordinated operation. From recruiting volunteers and organizing corrals to directing runners toward the starting line at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, they became integral to getting the race underway.

But race day has never been quite the same for Navarra since Victor died in 2007 from paranasal sinus cancer, which was attributed to his volunteer work at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Continuing their marathon tradition has since become one of the most meaningful ways she honors his legacy.

"I mean, it was like a passion for him. And he loved the start because it was everybody together," Navarra said. "Up until his dying day, he was going to be at that marathon."

Attending the marathon was, in fact, one of Victor's final goals. After doctors gave him just months to live, he made a list of things he wanted to do.

"The last goal was he was going to be at that marathon. Come hell or high water, he was going to be at the marathon," Navarra said. "And at that marathon he was blind, he had no idea what he looked like, but he was there and he could barely talk. He had said to me, 'If something happened to me before that just put me on ice.'"

Now, 19 years later, Navarra is still leading the charge. In the days leading up to the race, she's busy overseeing the construction of the start village area, hosting meetings with volunteers to run through race-day logistics, and distributing trash and donation bags for clean-up in the corrals.

And by 8:30 a.m. on the big day, you can find her 85 feet in the air, perched in the bucket of an FDNY truck overlooking the starting line and sending orders from above despite her fear of heights. She says Victor would've gotten a kick out of that.

"He knows how much I hate heights, and I still hate them. I hate even getting on the step ladder, "Navarra said. "I think he'd be proud that I've continued to do it, you know, and kept all the relationships going."

On Nov. 1, as nearly 2,000 volunteers gather at the start village under Navarra's guidance, it'll be a celebration not just for the runners but for the woman who's helped make the starting line a happy place to be for 50 years now, with no finish line in sight.

"You don't really see a sad face. It's just nice to see everybody all together and having a good time," Navarra said.

In:

• TCS New York City Marathon
• New York City

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