Sandra Ferrari
by Amy Duquette
Most of us know PPTC member Sandy Ferrari, she’s hard to ignore. Her bubbly personality is so infectious that you
suddenly find yourself gravitating towards her no matter where she is. Sandy is a woman with endless energy as well
as an insatiable desire to converse with others.
Sandy’s energy isn’t just directed to socializing though. She is a multi-marathon runner that some might call a fanatical
racer. She ran over thirty races in 2006 alone! As if that weren’t enough, she recently began competing in triathlons as
well. However, Sandy was not always the incredibly fit and energetic athlete we currently know her as. Most have no idea
that Sandy was the girl in high school who would pull her gym sweatpants over her jeans because she knew she would be moving
as little as possible. She was the girl who was much more concerned with not messing her hair or makeup and never breaking a
sweat. No, Sandy definitely didn’t start out as an athlete, but she eventually found her way there.
On August 23, 1988 Sandy and her twin sister, Natacha, arrived in Brooklyn at age 14. Her mother and older sister had already
moved here from Haiti. After completing high school, Sandy attended Hunter College and then went on to obtain her paralegal
certification from NYU. During this time, she was a passionate activist about environmental issues and spent much time lobbying
in Albany for higher education concerns. She has since been working at a law firm in downtown Brooklyn where she focuses on
medical malpractices.
When her work at the law firm began nine years ago, so adopted a slew of unhealthy habits. She joined in the office traditions
of eating pizza and fast food at her desk everyday for lunch. It was all fun and games until an insensitive deliveryman bluntly
said to her, "You used to be so beautiful, but you’ve gained so much weight." Sandy was shocked at what the man said. However,
sometimes in life these shocking moments are the ones that change us forever, as this one did for Sandra.
Soon after her encounter with the infamous deliveryman, on April 22, 1999 Sandy joined the Brownsville Recreation Center and
has been a member ever since. She began taking step aerobic classes. These classes helped her to lose weight, but by 2001 she
felt as if she needed more. Weight lifting and dance classes did not fill the void so Sandy googled "running clubs" and found
information about a PPTC Speed Series race. In the summer of 2001, she ran her first 5K. During the race, she heard the voice
of Will Abrams yelling to her "lift your legs!" Recognizing her potential, he came up to her after the race and invited her
into the PPTC. Will told her, "you can run well, but you need to focus". Sandy said she had trouble focusing because she was
too busy looking at the scenery and searching for the finish line. Despite her focus problem, this first race motivated her
and Sandy was excited to start her running career.
Like many runners, Sandy has had a few setbacks as well. An injury from over-running in August 2001 forced her to hold back
for a bit. "I was pushing too hard too fast," she recalled. This, combined with the tragedy of September 11th greatly affected
her budding running career. Sandy’s sister had been working in one of the Twin Towers, but luckily was relocated to another
building shortly before the attack. The emotional affect of her near loss took a toll on Sandy.
Down and out of running for a while, she did not get back her inspiration until January of 2002. After a routine checkup,
Sandy’s doctor praised her for losing weight, citing not only the change in her appearance, but also that her heart was much
healthier. He strongly suggested that she continue to run and stay fit. "Up until that point I was only excited to be buying
smaller clothes, I did not even think about the health benefits," Sandy said. Soon after, Sandy attended her first PPTC annual
awards dinner. "At that dinner I was inspired by the members. I remember thinking ‘those people are really cool!’ "
Once again training and racing, Sandy completed the Queens Half Marathon in April 2002 and as she happily crossed the finish
line, she decided that she would immediately start training for her first marathon. The race was scheduled for March of 2003
in Washington DC, but to her great disappointment, it was canceled because of the Iraq invasion three days before race day.
She then got into the NYC marathon that year and completed it in 4:39. Sandy recalled, "I discovered what people were telling
me was ‘the wall’ at mile 21. To this day I do not know how I crossed the finish line, but I do know that I am in a happy place
when I run. When I finished, I could not wait for my next one. I wrote that in the PPTC book that members signs when they finish."
Sandy has raced five more marathons since then. "When marathon time is close, my spirits are the highest," she said. She gives
credit to Jon Cane of Jack Rabbit for "...turning me into a runner. He helped me to shave 30 minutes off my marathon time." Both
he and Will Abrams coached her to stop talking and focus while running. "Will was the one who made me appreciate the art of
running," Sandy said.
Sandy uses every endeavor she tackles to see what she can learn about herself. She went from being a creature of habit,
neglecting her health, to realizing that life is more enjoyable when you challenge yourself. She has been living much more on
the edge, always looking for the next hurdle to see how far she can push herself. Her next challenge turned out to be competing in
triathlons. Sandy trains with and represents Team in Training: The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Sandy works with them to help
raise money for their cause. As part of that team, she completed her first triathlon in Memphis in May of last year. Amazingly,
she had just learned how to swim at the YMCA only three years earlier. Her lessons with John Stewart of Jack Rabbit are what gave
her the confidence to swim competitively. The one-mile swim in this first triathlon proved to be more of a challenge than she
anticipated. After taking water in through her nose, she grabbed onto the rope to recover when another female swam up to her and
talked her through to the end. She never learned the woman’s name, but refers to her as "an angel". Even more inspiring than her
conquering of the swim is the fact that up until December 2005 she could not ride a bike either. She hired Terry Chin, the only
coach in the tri-state area teaching adults how to ride. She was a bit unsure of herself when she entered the race and if it were
not for her chain falling off, all would have gone well on the bike. It seems as though no obstacles can hold Sandy back.
To step things up a bit, Sandy has joined the USA Team Tri and plans to be thoroughly prepared for The Nautica New York City
Triathlon, which takes place in July. Her long-term goal is to complete the Lake Placid Iron Woman race in July 2008. This 2.4
mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run will be her biggest challenge yet, even compared to the 100 mile Century Race she
completed in Montauk and the 31-mile ultra-marathon she completed in 6:25 in 2003.
Sandy has learned that "the self is very important in life. If you don’t focus on yourself, no one else will." Beyond discovering
a wellspring of self-respect, Sandy has also developed a strong sense of team camaraderie. She is currently a Board Member of
the PPTC and offers much support to her peers through her uplifting and inspiring spirit. To bring Sandy’s running story full
circle, she has inspired co-workers in her office to become healthier. One partner at the firm, a mother of two, watched Sandy
go from sedentary to competing in marathons and was so inspired that she ran a marathon herself! For Sandy though, the journey
of learning to believe in herself has been the ultimate reward.