Meet the NYC Marathon athletes running for entrepreneurs
This November, five individuals will be lacing up their shoes in support of Start Small Think Big. Meet the passionate and determined folks who will be running the TCS New York City Marathon and supporting entrepreneurs for all 26.2 miles. As a team, they’ve set a goal of raising $25,000 by November 1, 2026. Learn more about what motivates them.
Dan Burstein
By day, Dan serves as the General Counsel at Magic Eden, a digital marketplace. As a first time marathon participant, Dan shared, “I'm running my first marathon to achieve a personal goal, just as so many entrepreneurs go the distance to achieve their own goals."
Prior to his role with Magic Eden, Dan was an executive at the New York State Department of Financial Services, where he worked on financial inclusion for small businesses that get shut out of loans and banking or tangled up in predatory loan terms.
His pre-race meal? Pasta the night before, and a banana at the starting line. He jokes that if his kids ever agree to run with him, that'll be the real headline.
Matt Szenics
A marathon veteran, Matt is also a small business owner. Matt shared his “why” for fundraising for Start Small: “I know what it feels like to get help from others, and I want to pay it forward."
On race day, Matt says he plans to wear the Dunkin' Donuts beanie traditionally handed out at the start all the way to the finish line, just as he has for every previous race. He plans to fuel himself with three coffees, at least one bagel (maybe two), a banana and gatorade, and then jam to the song “Run” by Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano to keep him motivated every mile as he supports entrepreneurs.
Erica Searcy
Erica likes to move fast – both in running, and in life. She admits she's had to catch herself pushing teams faster than they're built to move. That’s her reason for running the NYC Marathon. She shared that’s precisely the tension she sees in small business owners, who are expected to handle strategy, marketing, HR, taxes, and legal, on top of actually running their business. "Start Small Think Big addresses this at scale," she said, "opening the door for business owners to ask for, and receive, practical support that helps them go the distance."
Her motto for race day is "Start Small. Think Big. Go Far Together." Her fuel of choice is the biggest bagel she can find.
Ethan Jacobs
Ethan’s first job was at a local pizza shop, where he first saw up close what it actually takes to run a small business.
In college he worked with organizations supporting local farms and agriculture businesses. Now his day job is helping companies through growth stages, and he's watched friends build early-stage businesses without easy access to the legal and financial advice that could move them forward faster.
As a first time marathoner, he shared that he’s running to support small business owners across New York and beyond “as they turn ambitious ideas into growing businesses and stronger communities." On November 1, he’ll be streaming the song “Vertigo” by U2 to get him through the hard miles.
Hayley Czernek
While no stranger to running a marathon, Hayley plans to run her inaugural NYC Marathon this year. As a billing specialist for a large successful company that was once started as a fledgling small business, Hayley credits the community around it for a lot of that growth. Her advice for runners and small business owners alike is simply: "Together, we can."
Her go-to race day fuel? A banana and a chocolate chip granola bar.
Five different reasons, one finish line. Visit the Start Small Team Page here.
