Gently Raging While Running
In November 2023, I sat at the finish line of the New York Marathon—not as a runner, but as a witness. Six months earlier, I’d had my first serious cycling accident. Recovery was slow, and it was tough. But the process also made me grateful. I was strong enough to recover. I have and continue to have a newfound appreciation for the gift of life. I’m a fortunate man.
I sat transfixed for hours in Central Park, watching wave after wave of finishers come through. I saw the sub-three-hour finishers. Then the four-hour finishers. And still sat there. Watching a blind man led by his guide finish in a fraction over three hours. An old, – my age – Japanese man vomiting as he crossed the finish line. Runners broken, elated, staggering, joyful, waving to the crowd, blankly looking with a thousand-yard stare.
At 4 hours, 41 minutes, and 57 seconds, Tommy Rivs came in.
If you know his story, you’ll understand why that moment landed deep. If you don’t: Rivs is a world-class endurance athlete who came back from a devastating cancer diagnosis—literally on the edge of life—and found his way back to running. In 2020, he was in a months-long coma and given little chance of survival. He battled on, his recovery so tough that it saw him having to relearn how to walk—gently raging.
In 2021, he ran the New York Marathon in nine hours.
Tommy’s experience gave him new depth and perspective. His mantra, “Gently Rage,” stayed with me. This Rich Roll podcast interview with Tommy tells the story much more eloquently than I could ever hope to – it’s an inspiration.
While I was still in New York, I read his wife’s book, Everything All At Once, which detailed Tommy’s illness and recovery. It’s a raw, poetic, deeply human account of survival and purpose – Stephanie Catudal can write.
I came home and, in December, started my first tentative runs. 3km was a long run at that time. Then came my second accident in 2024. Another setback. More pain. I wondered if the marathon dream had slipped away for good.
But the body heals. The mind adapts. And the human spirit does its stuff.
When Scott James Jewelry released a limited run of “Gently Rage” pendant necklaces inspired by Rivs’ journey, I ordered one. It celebrated Tommy’s heritage by the proceeds being donated to help families in the Navajo Nation Not as a fashion statement—but as a symbol. Something I could wear during tough training days. Something to remind me why I’m doing this.
I wear it now, every run. I’ll wear it on race day.
It’s not about bravado. Not about ignoring pain. It’s about staying in the fight—with patience, with spirit, with quiet defiance. Nanokorobi yaoki. Seven times fall, eight times rise.
There are 96 days to go until the 2025 New York Marathon. I won’t pretend it’s easy. I’ve had to adapt. I train differently now. Recover more deliberately. I listen to my body more than I used to. But the goal is intact. The mission remains.
And around my neck, the words are always there: Gently Rage.