The 50th edition of the New York City Marathon is more than eight months away, but its popularity has never been higher.
A record 240,000 runners worldwide entered last week’s annual lottery for a slot in the race, but just 1 percent were selected, given the high demand. Many of those who lost out this year are now hoping to run for a charity, including EndoFound. Team EndoStrong’s coordinator, Clare Murphy, is preparing for a flood of applications, which open today.
“We have 70 spots this year, up from 50 last year, which will make it our biggest marathon team in history,” said Murphy, in her fourth year leading the group. “It’s not going to be an easy selection process. I’m looking for runners who have a passion for endometriosis advocacy and a strong drive to fundraise for this cause.”
The race will be on Sunday, November 1. It will wind through all five New York City boroughs, beginning on Staten Island and ending in Manhattan’s Central Park.
This will be EndoFound’s twelfth consecutive year as a charity partner with the marathon. New York Road Runners, the nonprofit that produces the event, will partner with more than 670 charities, the most ever. Last year, $80 million was raised for roughly 600 charities. Nearly $700 million has been raised since the start of the Road Runners’ Official Charity Partner Program in 2006.
"The five-borough New York City Marathon course has defined what’s possible when sport, community, and purpose come together,” Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners, said in a press release last week. “As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this iconic course, we’re honoring the race’s impact on New York City and the global running community—while building on that legacy and our mission to transform lives through running.”
Team EndoStrong raised $293,400 last year, 30 percent more than in 2024. This year, each of the 70 runners will be asked to raise a minimum of $6,000—a $1,000 increase over last year and a significant jump as a team. Murphy said these are challenging but attainable goals.
“We want to fill all 70 slots by May 1 to strategically set up everyone’s fundraising efforts for success,” Murphy said. “The more time they have, the easier it will be.”
Many of last year’s runners had endometriosis or know someone who does. Their fundraising also brought awareness to the disease.
“The number of people who supported us was crazy—they knew how much this meant to us,” 2025 EndoStrong runner Patrick McCoy said following last year’s race. McCoy ran to honor his girlfriend, Caileigh Cashman, who suffered from endometriosis symptoms for more than a decade before having surgery last fall. The couple raised more than $7,000. “A lot of friends reached out to say that their girlfriends were going through endo, as did one family member,” McCoy said. “They were very happy and appreciative that we were able to raise money for something that they struggled with.”
Murphy said she wants to build the team with those who have a mix of running and fundraising experience. She said there are two questions on the application that are most critical.
“Why am I running for endometriosis, and how will my efforts [running and fundraising] impact the one in 10 women struggling with this disease,” Murphy said. “I’m looking for runners who have a passion for endometriosis advocacy and a drive for fundraising for this cause. This is much more than just running 26.2 miles. This is about making a difference in someone’s life.”
Because Team EndoStrong runners come from across the US and sometimes other countries, they usually don’t meet in person until race day. But as she does each year, Murphy will bring them together through texting and social media so that they can share training regimens, fundraising ideas, and endometriosis stories while encouraging each other leading up to the race.
“I like to cultivate a team of highly spirited individuals,” Murphy said. “It’s a big responsibility to wear ‘Team EndoStrong’ on your back and represent those who are struggling with this disease. We are looking for people who have a common interest and goal of advocating for endometriosis and being part of the EndoFound community.”
