The New York Marathon took place last weekend in New York City and for the first time in the history of the race, the winners of both the men’s and women’s wheelchair division races were won by Americans.
Daniel Romanchuk won the men’s race with a time of 1 hour, 36 minutes and 31 seconds while Susannah Scaroni led the women, completing the race in 1 hour, 48 minutes and 5 seconds. This was not the first win for either athlete –Scaroni also won in 2022, and Romanchuk won in 2018 and 2019.
After reading about their amazing marathon performances, we wanted to know Scaroni and Romanchuk better. Here are some fascinating facts about these elite athletes.
Daniel Romanchuk
Romanchuk was born with spina bifida. Growing up in Mount Airy, Maryland, he attended an adaptive sports program for children called Bennet Blazers. Nowadays, Romanchuk is a trainer with the program. He also volunteers at a respite program for children with disabilities. Romanchuk attended college at University of Chicago, Urbana-Champaign.
In addition to being a three-time NYC Marathon winner, Romanchuk is also a three-time Paralympic athlete and a four-time medalist. Earlier this year at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, Romanchuk won a gold medal for the men’s 5000 meter T54 division; and a bronze for the men’s 400 meter T54. Romanchuk also won gold and bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. In 2016, Romanchuk competed in the Paralympics in Rio. The Paralympian encourages sports fans to watch the Paralympics. Speaking with NBC News in Paris, Romanchuk explained that Paralympics “can be just as exciting as the Olympics to watch. We’re both elite athletes, and we both have the same goal. We might just reach that goal in a slightly different way. I have a racing chair, you know, instead of running.”
Susannah Scaroni
Scaroni is also a Paralympic athlete having competed in the 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 games. She won gold and bronze medals in the women’s 5,000 meter at the summer Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020, and took home a bronze medal from the 2024 Paris games.
Scaroni, 33, was raised in Tekoa, Washington. At age 5, a car accident left Scaroni with a spinal cord injury. She has always loved sports and began playing wheelchair basketball in the fourth grade. Later, she discovered wheelchair racing. Like Romanchuk, Scaroni attended college in Illinois, graduating from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Scaroni struggled with an eating disorder which led her to become a registered dietician after college.
Interviewed by the AP following this weekend’s marathon, Scaroni told reporters it was “always so special to be here in New York City. I woke up feeling great today, never take it for granted.”
