RACING AGAINST FRANCE FOR A GOOD CAUSE IN NYC MARATHON
Saturday, 2 September 2023
Old Boys Steve Brooks (OR1988) and Xavier Eales (OR2015) met at a ‘Riverview in NYC’ event hosted by Nick Greiner and Dr Paul Hine, and instantly bonded over their love for running and its power to make a difference; along with a shared competitive spirit. Steve captains a marathon team in New York (seeking to make up for his back-of-the-pack finish for Ricci House in the 1987 800m house qualifiers) comprised of a tight-knit group with connections to both Australia and the Bowery Mission. The Bowery Mission has provided meals, shelter, clothing and other critical support services for the homeless community in New York City since 1870. As its youngest member, Xavier agreed to join ‘Team Australia’ to help support the excellent cause. Team Australia is racing against a team of accomplished French marathoners which includes senior executives and leaders from the luxury goods, finance, marketing and entertainment industries. The teams are competing to determine best performance in both time and fundraising in the 2023 NYC Marathon on November 5th. Of course, Team Australia is looking to win in a performance not dissimilar to the Matildas victory over France in the 2023 Soccer World Cup. In 2022, the competition raised over $150,000 for the Bowery Mission with Team Australia prevailing by a narrow margin. However, Team France is highly competitive, motivated and eager to recapture the trophy.
 
In a city the size of New York, homelessness is an enduring challenge. The Bowery Mission is an avenue for your generous donations to directly help homeless community members receive basic needs and emergency care services in welcoming, trauma-informed environments. Meals, shelter, clothing and more are provided seven days a week, 365 days a year, to all who walk through Bowery’s doors — no questions asked. $3.49USD can provide a meal and $174USD can provide a guest with a week of vocational readiness training. Steve and Xavier would be grateful for any assistance the Old Boy community may be able to provide to help the team prevail over France and, most importantly, assist the work of the Bowery Mission.A link to the team page is here: https://my.bowery.org/team/498237