November 7, 2025

REMINDER: YOUR SUBMISSIONS ARE ENCOURAGED

Overview for this week.

1. 2025 TCS New York City Marathon: With 59,662 starters, Sunday's race became the largest marathon in history. The top three women finishers all broke the previous course record, and the men's race, with three hundredths of a second between first and second, was the closest finish in history.

2. Perseverance: I am highlighting the stories of two disabled athletes who completed Sunday's New York City Marathon with assistance from Achilles International, an organization founded by the late Richard "Dick" Traum.

3. Good Samaritans: A man with intellectual disabilities who had become separated from his group home during a Halloween outing went missing on the streets of New York until a marathon spectator found him on Sunday.

4. Super Seniors: 80-year-old Betty Kellenberger became the oldest woman ever to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail when she completed the trek this past September.

5. Dr. Hayward M. Fox, Ph.D.: I'm pleased to report that Dr. Fox is doing exceptionally well! I have a new blog post from him this week.

6. Philanthropy: With SNAP benefits on pause during the government shutdown and Thanksgiving just around the corner, the need for food assistance is greater than ever. The Lapan Sunshine Foundation is doing its part to help by accepting food donations through November 13th. I also have information on additional resources in southern Arizona to help those in need and a resource to locate food banks across the U.S. 

7. Hobbies: Metal Detecting looks like an interesting hobby and a good excuse to spend some time outdoors at the beach.

8. Reader Submission: A gang of Colorado wild turkeys.

9. Fashion: The Donatella Versace dress that J.Lo made famous has returned to the spotlight, this time worn by supermodel Amber Valletta.

10. Bindu's Corner: This week, Bindu has shared some wisdom from the spiritual teacher Gurudev with the Flock.

A Note From Beth

I hope you will pick and choose, and enjoy your reads. 
Please feel free to share the Flock.

Now, to this week's Flock.

The 2025 TCS New York City Marathon was run this past Sunday, November 2nd. Kenyan runners solidified their dominance of the sport, with Kenyans sweeping the podium in both the men's and women's divisions; the top three women finishers all broke the previous course record. This year's race also set a record for the number of participants, with almost 60,000 runners out of over 200,000 applicants competing in front of around 2 million spectators lining the route. It's incredible for me to see how much this sport has grown, as one of the small group of running enthusiasts who were around at its inception. When I joined the New York Road Runners, I was the 28th member. The first NYC Marathon in 1970 drew only 127 competitors and about an equal number of spectators.

From: New York Road Runners, November 2, 2025

Produced by nonprofit New York Road Runners (NYRR), today’s 2025 TCS New York City Marathon—the best day of the year, in the best city in the world—saw record-breaking performances as more than 55,000 athletes from nearly 150 countries traversed the five boroughs and crossed the iconic finish line in Central Park. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon champion, won her second women’s open division title while breaking the 22-year course record; compatriot Benson Kipruto won the men’s open division title by less than one second in the closest men’s race in the race’s history; American Susannah Scaroni captured her second consecutive women’s wheelchair division victory; and Switzerland’s Marcel Hug continued to assert his dominance with a seventh TCS New York City Marathon title.

Hellen Obiri and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya

In his TCS New York City Marathon debut, Kipruto, the bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon, outkicked compatriot Alexander Mutiso, edging him right at the line, 2:08:09 to 2:08:09.03. It marked the smallest margin of victory in race history with the athletes being separated by three hundredths of a second. Former TCS New York City Marathon champion Albert Korir finished third in 2:08:57.

Benson Kipruto and Alexander Mutiso finish first and second, separated by less than 10seconds.

“I'm so happy to have my fourth win of a Major Marathon,” said Kipruto. “I think there's no secret in winning and finishing on the podium. Just believe in yourself and have patience and believe in training.”

In the professional wheelchair division, Susannah Scaroni, the defending 2023 and 2024 TCS New York City Marathon champion, led a podium that included Tatyana McFadden and Catherine Debrunner, the event record holder. Scaroni ran 1:42:10, with McFadden and Debrunner running 1:47:54 and 1:47:56 respectively.

Richard "Dick" Traum was a dear friend to my husband, Michael, and me, and a fixture in Central Park and the New York City running community dating back to the 1970s. In 1976, he was the first amputee to complete the NYC Marathon on a prosthetic leg. He would go on to found Achilles International, an organization that grew out of his own Achilles Track Club, dedicated to promoting and supporting disabled athletes worldwide. Sadly, Richard passed away on January 23rd, 2024, but his creation, Achilles International, has continued to grow and carry on his mission to empower disabled athletes. The following stories are just two of the many athletes Achilles International has assisted in reaching their goals. You can read more about Richard Traum and Achilles International in the March 22nd, 2024 issue of the Flock.

Dos Santos, a 26-year-old Venezuelan amputee who lost his lower limbs in a 2019 car accident, needed to throw himself to the ground every 100 steps, remove his prostheses, and dry his liners in order to prevent his skin from breaking as he attempted to complete the 26.2-mile race.

"It was a complete mental struggle where pain was present and only increasing," Dos Santos told ABC News Digital following the marathon this week, in an interview translated from Spanish to English.

Not long after midnight on Monday, Nov. 3, after more than 15 hours of running, Dos Santos was cheered across the finish line like a champion, becoming the final runner to complete the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon.

The 2025 NYC Marathon’s last finisher might be its most inspiring

From CBS News, By: Adam Thompson, November 3, 2025

A 66-year-old Baltimore woman who had lost her sight and was declared legally blind completed the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday.

Jackie King ran alongside guides Emmeline and Gabe from the Achilles International Baltimore chapter.

King said the "New York City Marathon was a challenge," but she was glad she took it on. 

King was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare inherited disease that causes progressive vision loss. It began with trouble adjusting to dim light, then slowly narrowed her field of vision until, in 2024, she was declared legally blind.

Baltimore woman who lost her sight finishes NYC Marathon

As the NYC Marathon passed through Queens on Sunday, an unidentified spectator assisted an injured stranger who had been missing for three days. Who says New Yorkers aren't kind and considerate?

From: CBS News, By: Carolyn Gusoff, November 3, 2025

A Long Island family is crediting the New York City Marathon for getting their missing loved one home safe. 

The 55-year-old man from Elmont, with severe intellectual disabilities, disappeared on Halloween and was found among the marathon crowd two days later, more than seven miles away.

Separated from group on Halloween

Giacomo "Jack" Campione, who has cognitive disabilities, dressed in a costume Friday morning and went out with his group home housemates and an aide. Then, he got swept up in a crowd in Flushing, Queens, as he exited the Q13 bus. 

It set off a frantic search… 

"It's New York. We see a lot of stuff in New York," Giselle Campione said. "Thank you New York for helping my brother."

Person at NYC Marathon spots missing man from Long Island

80-year-old Super Hiker Betty Kellenberger set the record as the oldest woman ever to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail earlier this year. I like her attitude; she didn't set out to break any records - she had just always wanted to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. So that's what she did.

From: Old Lady Gains, October 11, 2025

When you think of an 80-year-old, you might picture someone easing into retirement, maybe taking up gardening, or yelling at their iPhone because it “won’t text the grandkids back.” What you don’t usually picture is an octogenarian casually conquering the Appalachian Trail — all 2,190 miles of it. But Betty Kellenberger just did exactly that, and I’m both humbled and now reconsidering my daily 10k-step goal as “pathetic.”

Betty, who’s from Florida, became the oldest woman ever to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail — which, for context, is a five- to seven-month journey that stretches from Georgia to Maine. We’re talking about a trail so long and brutal it eats strong 30-year-olds for breakfast and leaves them crying in a tent by Vermont. Meanwhile, Betty out here is like, “Hold my trekking poles.”

In an interview, she said she didn’t set out to make history — she just wanted to hike. (Of course she did. Queens never brag; they just lace up their boots and keep walking.) She started her trek in February and finished in September, racking up thousands of miles, countless blisters, and a lifetime’s worth of bragging rights.

And here’s the part that really got me: she’s not some lifelong athlete or influencer trying to “go viral for grit.” She’s just a woman who decided she wasn’t done living big. She’s part of that glorious generation that built resilience before participation trophies — and she proves that “too old” is the biggest lie we’ve ever been sold.

Dr. Fox is doing great and is always here for you online and virtually. Here is the latest post from Dr. Fox's blog.

From: Institute of Personal and Transpersonal Knowledge

With SNAP benefits on pause during the government shutdown and Thanksgiving just around the corner, the need for food assistance is greater than ever. The Lapan Sunshine Foundation is doing its part to help by accepting food donations through November 13th. I also have information on additional resources in southern Arizona to help those in need and a resource to locate food banks across the U.S.

From: Feeding America

Use your ZIP code to Search for food banks across America  

Groceries, meals, and more are just a search away. Click on a food bank to learn more about hours, locations, and services at partner food pantries and meal programs.

We've all seen people walking along the waterline at the beach, slowly swinging a metal detector over the sand as they hunt for lost change and jewelry. Detecting looks like a pleasant hobby. You're outside, usually in a beautiful location, and getting some exercise. When Flock readers Joanne and Lexi Stuhr heard I was going to include something on metal detecting this week, they suggested that I also include a nod to the award-winning BBC series The Detectorists, which takes a light-hearted look at the hobby.

From: Cape May Magazine By: Linda Scott, Early Summer 2024

Using a metal detector can be a great pastime—and is bound to pique many a passerby’s interest. My granddaughter and I took my cheapo metal detector to the beach, unearthing beer bottle caps and tinfoil. An elderly gentleman studying us asked what type of treasures we had discovered in the much trod-upon sand. My granddaughter took great pleasure in sharing her finds with him. He asked if we had ever found coins, doubloons in particular. I laughed and said such a find would indeed seal our interest as serious treasure hunters. He was on vacation, but his home was in Greece. He added, “In my hometown finding gold coins is commonplace, and if you own the land, finders’ keepers.” Unblinking, my granddaughter took it all in. There was no comparison to our handful of bottle caps, and our conversation waned from there. We said our goodbyes and headed along the beach.

In past years, I was always on the lookout for fossils, arrowheads, and artifacts from the Lenape Nation that lived in this area, as well as sea glass and Cape May diamonds, and often unearthed these—except for the illusive arrowhead. Metal detecting was the next step. It can be no more than a contemplative pastime, and a downright healthy diversion as one walks the beach. You’re a part of the environment, even while searching for man made artifacts. Yet what many begin as a hobby can quickly evolve into so much more—particularly when you’re lured by tales of glittering gold jewelry, or precious coins found along our shores.

Another day, yet again equipped with my metal detector, I moved slowly along the beach. Suddenly that notable beep, beep, beep. Aware that I was racing against time with the incoming tide closing in, I moved quickly. The wet sand revealed what first appeared as a coin, but on closer inspection, was a copper token. Then, mere inches away, another one surfaced. What luck! I had discovered PTC (Philadelphia Transit Company) tokens, used for fare when the Cape May and Delaware Bay railroad ran between the steamship port at Sunset Beach, along the bay to Summer Station in Cape May. So far that’s my only significant find but will gladly take it.

The Detectorists Trailer

Margaret Durney, mom to the Flock's favorite mouser Fern, sent us this photo of a gang of wild turkeys she encountered outside of Aspen. Thank you, Margaret. I love it!

As a side note, it's okay to call a group of wild turkeys a flock or gaggle, but they are more specifically referred to as a gang or mob, reflecting their characteristic noisy and sometimes intimidating behavior.

I met Amber Valletta maybe 25 to 30 years ago. She was a mild-mannered Midwestern teenage girl who was discovered walking in a shopping mall while shopping with her mother. I was on a hiking retreat, and so was Amber. We hiked and hiked for a handful of days with a group, all strangers. Now the rest is history. Read below: that dress that J.Lo made famous was a dress designed by Donatella Versace for a major fashion show, and Amber was chosen to wear it.

From: Vogue, By: Christian Allaire, November 3, 2025

Tonight, at the 2025 CFDA Awards, supermodel Amber Valletta will be presenting Donatella Versace with the Positive Change Award, honoring the Italian designer for her LGBTQ+ advocacy work and ongoing support of young talent. Naturally, Valletta—a longtime Versace muse—was bound to wear one of Donatella’s looks on the red carpet. But given that this is a fashion event, Valletta did not choose just any ol’ gown. Instead, she revived one of Versace’s most iconic designs ever.

Yes, we are talking about the sexy, low-plunging, jungle-print sheer gown that Jennifer Lopez wore to the 2000 Grammys. It was a dress so talked-about that it actually gave birth to Google Images. (The search engine company could not deliver results for the combination of “J. Lo” and “Versace” searches, so it built Google Images to fix the problem.) To this day, the dress is so popular, that J.Lo even rewore it on the spring 2020 Versace runway, when she surprised-walked in Milan.

Still, while it may be easy to dub it the J.Lo dress, here is a fun fact: Back in the spring 2000 fashion season, when the dress first appeared on the catwalk, Valletta opened the show and wore a short version of the style on the runway; so you could say the model actually wore it before J.Lo. Her appearance at the 2025 CFDA Awards tonight served as an extremely-chic reminder that she did it first!

I must apologize to Bindu and the fans of Bindu's Corner. I had a very hectic week last week and missed getting her contribution in before the production deadline. Many Flock readers pointed out the omission and will not happen again. This week Bindu has shared some wisdom from the great teacher Gurudev.

These Flock regulars are always here for you:

Cita Scott for paintings, photography, and culinary art. Cita will be in and out of town all summer. Don't hesitate to give her a jingle. (520) 404-1551

Kimberly Gomer, MS, RD/LDN

Registered and licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist. Find me on my website at KimberlyGomer.com for information about nutrition coaching.

Sarah Smallhouse & Make Elections Fair ArIzona

– Sign the petition here

Sensitive & Specific: The Testing Newsletter by Mara G. Aspinall and Liz Ruark. Mara is always here to help in understanding testing knowledge and how it's being applied.

Kyria Sabin of Fletcher Pilates,

(520) 323-7070

The Fabric Jeanie!

Tap to learn more. 

(520) 245-0589

Linda Collazo, mezzo-soprano

for piano and voice lessons

Andres Valbuena, drum selection, drum basics, and more.

Dr. Hayward M. Fox, Ph.D.

The institute of Personal andTranspersonal Knowledge

Tucson Village Farm:

Vegetaable growing in the summer heat.

The Physio Shop,

Elite physical therapy services and more.

Icebox Cryotherapy,

Icebox Tucson’s unique enhancers allow you to be your best version! 

Nathan Anderson of Catalina Acupuncture

(520) 999-0080

Don't Be Shy: Share Your Stories!

I'm looking forward to sharing more of your personal stories - oral, written, or otherwise, as we enter our third year. I'd so love to present them to The Flock, hit a mailbox below to share your story.

Holualoa Ed Fit Wellness & Culture 2

520-818-4433

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