04/10/2026
My new book, Why I Run, arrived today. I’m very proud of this book. In it I get incredibly personal about life experiences, failing at a few startups, starting Bostontweet, starting Stride for Stride, my kidney transplant in 2024, and running four World Marathon Majors since then. I would love for you to read it and let me know what you think.
You can read buy the book at TomOKeefe.com
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From Why I Run:
I’ve scoured the internet trying to find another example of a kidney donor and his/her recipient running a marathon together. I couldn’t find any previous occurrence in the United States. Never had it previously happened in the NYC Marathon, the Boston Marathon, the Chicago Marathon or any other World Marathon Major. The only other occurrence throughout the world, in which a kidney recipient ran a marathon with his donor, was a year earlier (2023) in Israel.
What Jorge and I accomplished is extremely rare, and it will not be our last marathon together.
Additionally, as far as I’ve been able to discover, no other kidney recipient has ever run a marathon within ten months of their transplant. I went into my transplant in tremendous shape, which allowed me to recover quickly—quick enough to become the first kidney recipient to run a marathon so soon after surgery.
I didn’t run NYC to be the first. I ran because running is my recovery, both physically and mentally. Running is social, and solitary. Running is fun, and exhausting. Running can be joyful and awful at the same time. Running pushes the limits of what you thought your body was capable of. Running leaves you in awe, and in pain.
