Iva
4 Half-Marathons Completed, 1st New York City Marathon
People's United Bank 
Iva is grateful to be on United Way of Long Island’s Team Mission United, raising funds for veterans and those affected by COVID-19 in her community.
In 2020, the New York City Marathon was cancelled due to the pandemic. Despite this, Iva remained committed to fundraising for her community during their time of need; she also participated in the 2020 virtual run hosted by United Way. This year, she’s ready to continue representing Team Mission United when she races in the 2021 New York City Marathon.
Despite the unforeseen circumstances, Iva remains committed to fundraising for her community during this time of need, as she understands firsthand how hardships can leave scars on people.
Iva is no stranger to military life. Her father served in the U.S. Army and she witnessed, and even lost, a few close friends and family members as they served their duty or had to make the difficult transition back to civilian life. Having seen firsthand the sacrifices made by veterans, Iva is determined to give back and express her gratitude to this community through running.
“Running has helped me get through a lot of tough things in life,” she says. When she discovered that running was a great outlet to “run out the crazies” a few years ago, Iva noticed the benefits of training expand into all areas of her life.
Iva believes her active lifestyle helped alleviate the symptoms from her own battle with COVID-19. At the onset of the pandemic she, her husband and children each fell ill with the virus making for a challenging situation. “Everything hurt. It took a month to be able to breathe.” However, Iva believes her running habits allowed her to overcome the virus more quickly than if she had not been active.
Still, she has seen the destructive effects of COVID-19 lead to irrecoverable consequences for others. After losing loved ones to the virus, Iva gained new meaning for the importance of giving back to neighbors in need.
Words of motivation from Iva for her fellow Long Islanders:
“Try to keep in mind that although this is affecting everybody, you can always look for help. It’s out there. Reach out to people.”
