Running for More Than the Finish Line

Team NYP marathoners are going the extra mile for children.

Kate Vredenburgh Never Imagined Her First Days as a Mother Would Begin in the NICU. Her son Henry was born six weeks early at NewYork-Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell Medical Center, turning a peaceful summer evening into a rush of uncertainty. “We were in complete disbelief,” she says.

Henry needed immediate care, and life in the NICU at NewYork-Presbyterian Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns became their new reality. “The night we arrived, I was overwhelmed and scared,” Kate recalls. “But the nurses comforted me like I was family.”

Kate, Peter, and their son, Henry Vredenburgh.

Kate had experienced a normal pregnancy and had even run a 5K a few weeks before Henry was born. In the days that followed, she witnessed the compassion and expertise that defined Henry’s care. Nurses celebrated his milestones and nicknamed him Hungry Henry. One morning, Kate found him dressed in a soft onesie brought by a nurse. “It made the hospital feel like home,” she says.

Kate and her family leaned on each other and the NICU staff. “We showed up for each other in ways I’ll never forget,” she says. Now, with Henry healthy and thriving, Kate is running the TCS New York City Marathon with Team NYP to honor the care that carried them through. “This is my way of giving back.”

For Rachel Rim, running the New York City Marathon was a long-held dream—but she’s been preparing for a challenge like this her entire career. As the Pediatric Palliative Care Chaplain at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, Rim supports families through some of life’s most difficult moments, offering spiritual guidance and compassion. “It’s an abundance of joy and beauty, but also of grief and loss,” she says. “Those two always go together.”

Her role as a chaplain goes beyond religion, encompassing emotional and spiritual care for patients and families. “I’m not someone who’s great at just sitting in my emotions,” she admits. “Therapy has never been that helpful for me, but running is. It gives me a way to process everything I hold from the hospital.”

So, when she learned that NYP offered charity spots for the NYC Marathon—especially to support pediatric care—she knew it was the perfect fit. “To be able to raise money for pediatrics felt deeply meaningful,” she says.

Running the marathon is more than a personal milestone; it’s also a tribute to the children and families she serves. “They’re running their own marathons every day,” she says. “This is my way of honoring their strength and doing something for my own health in the process.”

“I see firsthand how extraordinary these kids are, how much they're going through. To be able to raise money for pediatrics felt deeply meaningful.”

—Rachel Rim, Pediatric Palliative Care Chaplain, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of Children’s Hospital of New York