Jesse was born and raised in Harlem, where he’s become a community leader and captain of Harlem Run. He’s run the NYC Marathon before, but this time it’s different: he’s running to uplift youth who often get written off before their stories even begin. Jesse sees running as a tool for visibility, wellness, and change— and Next PAGE’s mission reflects the kind of community investment he’s spent years embodying. Running these 26.2 miles is about more than a personal best. It’s about making space for the next generation.

A hip hop artist based in NYC, Descendent found his voice in poetry and music— but lost it, literally, after multiple jaw surgeries. In that temporary silence, he discovered running. He sees it as both therapy and revolution: a way to move forward while carrying stories that often go untold. He’s running the NYC Marathon to help amplify the voices of incarcerated youth— and to show them, through his own story, what healing and transformation can look like.

This will be Taryn’s first marathon—and she is running because of Next PAGE’s mission. A culture reporter and former Black Voices Editor at HuffPost, Taryn grew up watching how systems failed the kids around her. Some were funneled into jail or foster care, while others struggled with literacy in schools that weren’t built to support them. Running for Next PAGE is her way of standing with those kids and investing in a future where every young person has the tools — and the audience — to tell their own story.

LeNard is an educator and Harlem Run member who has spent his career creating space for young people to express themselves. He’s run one marathon before— but this one, he says, means the most. He’s running for his former students, many of whom were navigating systems like foster care and juvenile justice while just trying to grow up. Next PAGE’s focus on creativity, healing, and storytelling speaks directly to what he’s seen kids need— and what he’s committed to helping provide.

As a criminal justice reporter, Emily has followed cases from the street to the courtroom. Too often, she wrote stories about kids caught in the crosshairs, with no one to tell their side. She founded the literacy nonprofit, Next PAGE, to change that: to give incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth the space, tools and audience to take back their narrative. Running the NYC Marathon is her way of carrying the mission of Next PAGE across all five boroughs— and inviting the city to listen.