Ed Maar is running this year’s New York Marathon in his father’s memory.
It’s a commitment on several levels: His dad died four months ago. Maar had previously stepped up as his father’s caretaker after the rugged Marine veteran was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
And, the marathoner says, his radical transformation from a 430-pound couch potato to a svelte distance runner was spurred by Robert Maar’s fight against the degenerative disease.
“This all came together in a special way, and that’s why I like to say it’s his last lesson to me,” the 39-year-old Maar told the Daily News.
The distance runner expects an emotional gut punch as he approaches the Bronx, his home borough and the place where Maar’s father reared him.
“I don’t want to underestimate the sadness of it, but sad things can be beautiful, too,” said Maar, who shed 200 pounds in 13 months after embracing a healthier life.
His journey started five years ago, literally with a single step, as he walked outside his apartment at sunrise and headed toward the East River.
Things progressed from there.
“And then there comes this glorious day, where it’s like, ‘I’m going to run,’ ” he recounted. “I went to work on this. . . It’s extremely freeing.”
The initial decision came after his father’s diagnosis, when Maar learned that lifestyle was a risk factor for the disease.
“I was a big guy, and I was eating every emotion that conflicted with me,” he recalled.
Getting back into shape became the project of his life, and Maar did his homework — studying the glycemic index, learning about proper diet.
The married construction manager, who quit his job to help out with his father, wound up taking control of his life while watching his dad slip slowly away.
Maar’s running became more than an engine for weight loss — each step served to clear his head and manage his sadness over his dad’s worsening condition.
“Alzheimer’s is brutal as it advances,” he said.
When his 77-year-old dad died in July, Ed immediately went to work as a fund-raiser — so far bringing in $6,500 for the Alzheimer’s Association’s New York chapter.
People emerged from the woodwork to pitch in, including old friends from college.
“It adds up,” he said.
Ed’s current regimen typically includes four or five weekly runs and a pair of running events each month. And though he ran in last year’s marathon, the 2017 race is different because of his father’s loss.
“I feel like, in some sense, he’s running with me,” said Maar. “Running is the common thread through all of it. It keeps me focused. It generally just makes me feel better.”
He’s ambitious to do this year’s marathon in four hours, after finishing last year in 4:15.
But his real priority?
“Finish safe, wear that medal, hoist a drink in (dad’s) honor and say thank you,” Maar said.
The 2017 TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live on Sunday, Nov. 5, on WABC-TV, Ch. 7 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. , and for the rest of the nation on ESPN2 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.
