David Dougherty Jr., like many Hoboken residents, likes to run. He’s completed marathons, half marathons, 10K races, and would even sprint to work when he lived in New York City. On Wednesday, he’s running up the 86 flights of the Empire State Building. But in the process of running seemingly everywhere, he had one question that would puzzle him. Why was he running?
“All these years, I never paid attention to what the races were for, and I learned there’s more to these races than just running,” Dougherty said.
Last year, he found out his “why,” or the reason to run.
“I never had a death in my family up until last year,” he said. Dougherty’s aunt died of cancer. Then, his grandmother died of cancer around Thanksgiving. Now, his mother Lisa is undergoing chemotherapy, and will have a major surgery on Tuesday, the day before his race up the iconic New York skyscraper.
“There’s actually meaning to the run this time.” – David Dougherty Jr.
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“The first step in the ‘It’s My Why’ movement is the 1,572 stairs in the Empire State Building,” Dougherty said.
For the Empire State Building climb, he’s raising money for the chapter of the American Cancer Society in Cherry Hill.
“My mother had thyroid cancer 25 years ago,” Dougherty said. “I grew up overseas in Germany on a military base so the military guided us through everything…this time she was kind of alone in the process. [The ACS] gave her the proper education and resources in her fight. We don’t have a ton of money that we can throw at cancer. She felt so special that they were giving her the best attention she could ask for.”
To train, Dougherty runs a 10-mile route through Hoboken and Jersey City Heights, sometimes with his 100-pound “double doodle” dog named Mex by his side.
But he soon won’t be training with just his dog.
Brother back from duty
David’s brother Daniel will soon return from his third tour of duty in the Middle East, and the two are preparing to run in the New York City marathon in November. For that marathon, Dougherty’s reason for running, or his “why,” is to raise funds for the Hoboken Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 107 in Hoboken.
“Right now, my focus is to raise funds for the local American Cancer Society that helped my mom so much, but after that, I’ll turn my attention to the VFW post 107,” he said.
This Wednesday, he’s focused on helping the people who helped his mother. Last year, Dougherty climbed the Empire State Building stairs in 17 minutes.
“Last year, I said why am I doing this?” Dougherty said. “This year, my why is a little different.”
He said the climb itself is a very unique experience.
“The climb changed my perception of the Empire State Building,” he said. “Coming from anywhere, you just see this huge building. But now, it’s more than just the Empire State Building to me, knowing that I’ve climbed every stair.”
What it’s like
Logistically, the climb can be quite crowded.
Dougherty said after the 25th floor, there is no one else around, as individuals climb at different paces.
“You start in the lobby and you run into this narrow doorway,” he said. “There are the elite runners, who run and fight for positions in the front…for the first 20 flights it’s very crowded. You’re bumping into people. But after floor 25 or 30, I didn’t see anybody. Sometimes someone will say excuse me, and fly right by me…you’re on your own for 60 flights. It turns into a mind game; you just keep turning left.”
He said the view from the top is breathtaking, “and you’re already out of breath.”
His website, ItsMyWhy.com, launched over the weekend.
He hopes the site will one day expand to be a place where many people can list their causes and fundraise for various efforts.
“I don’t have the resources for it to grow yet, but I don’t want ItsMyWhy to be just about me,” he said. “I eventually see it as ItsMyWhy.com slash someone’s name or their cause…I want it to be a site where people can go on and post their ‘Why’, and their friends can contribute to their cause or share the link.”
In November, he’ll be running the New York City marathon with his brother to benefit the local VFW.
He’ll also run the New York City half marathon in March.
But he’ll be doing it with his mother Lisa by his side. He will also raise money for the local ACS chapter that helped Lisa before that race.
“She’s been at both of the races I ran, and it’s all coming together now,” Dougherty said. “There’s actually meaning to the run this time, it’s not just a regular race.”
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com