Despite Hectic
Schedules,
Tenafly Couple
PURSUES DREAMS
44 BC The Mag FALL 2018
By Brianna Ruback
For Tenafly couple Gabrielle and
Dan Reiser, being hands-on parents
to their four sons is their top
priority. But, in spite of the time commitment
that full-time parenthood entails,
they are both pursuing their dreams
that are fueled by their passions that
were sparked early on in their lives.
For Gabrielle, it is running
marathons, and for Dan, it is acting.
Gabrielle started running track and
cross-country in high school, and continued
while attending Manhattan College
in Riverdale, N.Y. After she graduated,
she ran recreationally until she was 27
years old and decided to run her first
marathon in Dublin, Ireland in 2001.
“I ran that race and I loved it. I
caught the bug,” Gabrielle, a Garden
State Track Club member, said.
A year after she ran the 2003 New York
City Marathon, Gabrielle married Dan and
they started their family. Sickness during
pregnancies and a sprained ankle in between
the births of their sons prevented
Gabrielle from running in races, so she decided
to only run recreationally.
After taking about 10 years off from
competing, Gabrielle ran the Steamtown
Marathon in Scranton, Pa. and improved
her time by 22 minutes, which qualified
her for the Boston Marathon the next
two years. However, due to a foot injury,
she was only able to compete in the 2018
Boston Marathon.
But, training for a marathon is difficult,
especially as a parent to four young
children with busy schedules. For
Gabrielle, a typical training schedule
would consist of running six days a
week. Weekday training sessions would
require five- to eight-mile long runs,