Moving into marathon majors like Boston and New York is difficult sufficient, now image the rejection electronic mail having your face on it. Nicely, that was the case for New York’s personal Nick Parisi, as reported by NBC New York. Parisi utilized for a spot within the 2024 New York Metropolis Marathon, solely to obtain an electronic mail along with his personal picture giving finger weapons, saying higher luck subsequent yr.
When Parisi acquired the e-mail on March 28, he didn’t count on to be the face of rejection. He additionally didn’t count on his rejection story to go viral. Virtually 160,000 rejection emails went out from the New York Street Runners (NYRR), all of them with Parisi’s picture on them. (However he was the one runner to see his personal face.)
The picture generated the nickname Damaging Nick on-line. “I didn’t count on to develop into an web meme,” Parisi stated.
The story has a cheerful ending for Parisi, although. The viral picture reached the NYRR advertising group, they usually felt they needed to make it as much as him. NYRR CEO Rob Simmelkjaer confirmed up at Parisi’s membership Entrance Runners NYC final week, apologizing for the mix-up and providing him a assured spot on the 2024 TCS New York Metropolis Marathon begin line with the bib “Constructive Parisi.”
Parisi, who ran his first marathon in New York final yr, is entered in his second marathon this September in Berlin. A couple of weeks earlier than he races New York once more this yr, he can be working Berlin in honour of his mom, who handed away in 2022 from a uncommon type of pores and skin most cancers (mucosal melanoma). He’s elevating funds for Fred’s Groups and Memorial Sloan Kettering Most cancers Middle in New York. To associate with the apology, NYRR will match Parisi’s ultimate donation quantity. He has raised practically USD $2,000 to this point.
You possibly can learn extra about Parisi and his journey to the 2024 Berlin Marathon right here.
