BPI is thrilled to join the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon as an Official Charity Partner. Since 1999, BPI has worked to reimagine the place of higher education, and support from the community has gotten us to where we are today and will sustain us as we build a future for college-in-prison and reimagine access to higher education.
If you are interested in joining BPI’s waiting list for 2025 or if you have already secured guaranteed entry but want to fundraise with Team BPI, fill out the form here.
Carmen Boll
I told myself I’d run the TCS New York City Marathon one day…and this year is the year! I’m even more honored to be running it with Team BPI because I believe education is a fundamental human right and a powerful tool for justice. Throughout college, I worked closely with recently incarcerated individuals, an experience that deepened my commitment to criminal justice reform. I plan to go to law school to help create a more equitable and humane legal system. Supporting BPI aligns with my belief that access to education should not end at a prison wall.
David Richardson
I taught my first class for BPI in the fall of 2021. In my two sections of first-year writing that semester, I met and worked with dedicated, insightful, creative thinkers who were generous with their knowledge, their attention, and their care. I’ve returned to teach every semester since, meeting many more such thinkers and writers, and in the summer of 2023, I joined BPI full-time as the Site Director for BPI’s Taconic campus. I’m running the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon for BPI because I know firsthand how vital resources are to the college’s work inside: my colleagues and I deliver the course books, the reams of computer paper, and the many pens and pencils that students use to work through the semesters and achieve their degrees. I also know the dedication of the faculty, who travel across the state to discuss academics with students and to share their expertise. None of this is possible without your support. In a time of peril for higher education, I believe it all the more that everyone should have access to a well-resourced space to think in community. Consider becoming a part of this community by sharing what you can.
George Stanham
I’m orginally from Australia and have come to New York to study at Columbia. Having gone through the University system, I’ve been amazed by the impact a quality education can have on someone’s life, and want to make sure everyone in society has that same opportunity.
Brandon Steer
I’m originally from Minnesota and have been living in Brooklyn for the past six years. I currently work in operations at a breakfast food company and am a longtime long-distance runner. Running the New York City Marathon has always been a dream of mine, and this year I’m proud to do it in support of the Bard Prison Initiative — an organization I admire for its commitment to expanding access to higher education. Being part of this team makes the experience that much more meaningful. I can’t wait to get training!!
Isaac Strauss
I am a lawyer and lifelong advocate for the rights and dignity of incarcerated individuals. I believe deeply in the importance of access to education in prisons and the role it plays in creating a more just and equitable society. I am running the TCS New York City Marathon in support of the Bard Prison Initiative because their work inspires me and reflects the values I’ve long stood for. It is an honor to run on behalf of an organization making such a profound impact in New York and beyond.
Sam Werner
I live in New York, used to be a great athlete, and am now a solidly mediocre one.
I am running for BPI because my own education has opened countless doors for me and I want to play a small part in paying that forward running for Team BPI.