Member Spotlight: Eric Levenstein
PPTC Member Eric Levenstein
It’s hard to believe Eric Levenstein has only been running for a handful of years. He went from run-walking the PPTC Turkey Trot in 2015 to finishing the Vermont 100-miler last July.
Eric has been a Brooklynite long before he joined PPTC in July 2016. Originally from Ukraine, Eric and his family moved to Brooklyn 1991. He now works in cybersecurity for Con Edison, and when he’s not running or working, Eric loves spending his time on music, technology, and magic. (He has a routine, has performed at kids’ birthday parties, and yes, he’ll do a few tricks if you ask!)
In the short time he’s been running, his enthusiasm and love for the sport keeps growing, and that shows in more than just his mileage (2,000+ in 2019). Eric has become a staple of PPTC events, not just because he’s at almost all of them, always with a genuine smile, but he’s also one of the main forces behind coordinating the volunteers who are crucial to successful club events. As Volunteer Coordinator, he’s a member of both the Social and Race committees.
How did you find PPTC and why did you choose this club?
PPTC was basically the reason I began running.
My friend, a multi-marathoner, asked me if I wanted to run the PPTC Turkey Trot with her in 2015. This was about a month out, and I wasn’t a runner. I agreed—and then tried to think of a reason to back out—but decided to go for it. The Turkey Trot was an incredible experience, and I kept running in order to have more of those experiences.
When it came time to join a club, I asked Google for help. Being extremely new to the running world, I had absolutely no idea what to look for and just searched for “good running clubs in Brooklyn.” A lot of the reviews of clubs had me realizing the key points that go into these decisions: speed, group run schedules, locations, how active they are in general, etc. PPTC was the only club where I kept seeing the word “camaraderie” being used, so I figured it must have really nice people.
Quite frankly, I didn’t know all the incredible things that PPTC does so I didn’t plan on joining immediately. A key point was the NYC Marathon bus, and I didn’t need that for over a year.
What do you like most about PPTC?
All the surprises! I joined thinking this was a running club and I’d get some running advice, but it’s so much more than that. All the camaraderie, all the non-running events, all the friends I made from the club are all surprises I didn’t ever expect to benefit from. I’ve done and experienced a lot of things that I never even thought I’d consider, or didn’t know existed, before joining PPTC. And the members are so encouraging! I still consider myself a new runner, and the advice, support, and overall thoughtfulness that comes from other members is very appreciated. And now that we’re months into the pandemic, it’s incredible that PPTC keeps our community going and maintaining both in-person and virtual events.
What is your favorite PPTC event?
I frickin’ love awards night, Harry’s Handicap, the summer picnic, and the holiday party. Maybe it’s all the food, maybe it’s the combination of non-running stuff that makes it special, but it’s great to have an opportunity to chat with other members and get to know them better. But to answer the question, I’ll always cherish the Turkey Trot. The 2015 Turkey Trot was my first race ever, before I was even a “runner,” and I had no idea what I was doing.
I ran-walked it with my friend, and when I finished, it was my longest distance ever (“ever” meaning 3 weeks of running). All the PPTC excitement was ridiculously contagious. I told EVERYONE about the race, and I cherished that medal! The following Monday, I was looking up how to get into the NYC Marathon. Not that running was easy, but the excitement was incredible! PPTC is the reason I stayed in the running world, and that Turkey Trot medal is currently on prominent display alongside my first marathon medal.
You went from new runner to ultra-marathoner pretty quickly. How do you stay motivated to keep running?
I was never particularly athletic, and I still feel like a new runner, so to this day I’m still amazed that I’m able to do this at all. Even now, any time my GPS vibrates for 1 mile, I give myself a little “Yeah!” Whether it’s a short training run or during a marathon or beyond, I give myself a “Yeah!” for every single mile. I don’t want to stop being able to do this, and I like spending time with other PPTC members while running.
That makes a lot of sense, especially with how committed you were to cross-training after suffering a stress fracture after the Vermont 100 Endurance Race. (All that time you spent on the hand-cycle and elliptical sounded miserable.) Looking back on the running you’ve done, what would you say has been your favorite memory of it all up till now?
I’m fortunate enough to say that I have a lot. They generally involve sharing the experience with others: seeing friends and family who kindly came out to see my first marathon, PPTC members enthusiastically cheering at races when I was struggling, seeing other club members on a course and finishing the race with them. An incredible recent one is certainly getting paced by Ashleigh in Vermont for about 10 hours, listening to all the supportive messages she collected from others to play for me, and feeling like I experienced it with all of them. In hindsight it was a lot of crying, but it’s a great memory.
Speaking of racing—you do a lot of it! Even with the post-Vermont injury, you made it back to run both the NYC Marathon and the 60K in 2019. Do you have a favorite distance?
What a great question! I’ll tell you when I figure that out! I think it’s moreso the people and support that make it great.
What is your pre-race ritual, if any, the night before a race and the morning of?
Basically just checking off a list I have of stuff to bring on longer runs, and ensuring my watch is charged. Other than that, I should probably get a ritual so I can calm the heck down before a big race.
What is your favorite food to eat after a long run or hard race?
Literally anything. As long as I can fill my mouth with it, great!
Do you have a current or all-time running goal?
I know this is cheesy, but to keep learning. I still get so lost with terminology, and I still feel like I don’t know how to breathe correctly during harder runs, or why I’m eating what I’m eating. I want to get to a point where I don’t feel clueless about why I do these things that I do so consistently—just because I heard that I’m supposed to—and these other things that I feel like I’m doing wrong.
Thanks for sharing so much about your love for running and the club. Is there anything else you would like your teammates to know about you?
I’m told that I thank people a lot and it begins to lose meaning. Please believe how happy I am to know all of you, and that I sincerely mean it each and every time I say “thank you” for all you’ve done and all you do. And also, don’t forget the magic tricks, which I’ll be happy to show you at any time.
How has your running routine changed over the last year or few months?
Just about all of the above was written way before the pandemic, and oh how things have changed! It feels so weird to not see so many friends in person for so long, and to not know when we’ll be back to “normal.” The last year has been particularly wild, with getting married, and having a kid (during the pandemic), and the significant reduction in running/training that goes along with that, for great reason. I’m enthusiastically awaiting getting back into it, just like I’m sure you all are, and to introduce the lil’ guy at the next safe event, whenever that might be.
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Text by: Eric Levenstein
Interview by: Christine DiGangi
Photos courtesy of: PaFoua Hang
Edited by: Donna Newton + Linus Ly
Produced by: Alison Kotch