Westchester Attorney Completes New York City Marathon for Charity

Lydia S. Antoncic ran in Sunday’s TCS New York City Marathon for the Marfan Foundation in memory of her ex-husband Rich Ciacci of New Rochelle, who passed away of Marfan’s Syndrome in August of 2011.

She trained for 16 weeks for the event, and her efforts raised more than $3,000 for the charity. Below is her first-person account of the race and what it meant to her to complete it.

1.) What were your emotions during the race: I was very surprised by how emotional the race was for me. There were many moments when I was teary-eyed. In particular, running by my high school in Brooklyn (Brooklyn Technical HS) and LIC, which is near where I grew up.

Rich was with me the entire way. I fell the morning of the marathon outside my front door. The wind had blown over some Halloween decorations and I tripped over them in the dark. I skinned my knee and it was swollen but I told myself I would ignore it and battle through. Needless to say it made a windy challenging day more challenging. But Rich gave me a boost at 13.1 miles. He was a huge Bon Jovi fan and as we passed the midpoint of the race a guy to the right of me belted out as loud as he could “Oh, we’re halfway there . . . Livin’ on a prayer.” After that, I popped up and though I was limping, I battled through. And was thrilled that despite the weather, my fall and stopping frequently to enjoy every minute, I finished in the range of my goal time.

2.) Were there any particularly difficult portions of the race: The worst part of the race for me was waiting three hours to start running in the start village with the cold windy weather. That was brutal.

Perhaps the best thing that came out of this, is after the Daily Voice covered this story, a woman from New Rochelle reached out to me. Her son was diagnosed with Marfan’s and had open heart surgery recently. As we emailed back and forth, it turns out our boys were in elementary school class together. That made the run more special and more moving. There was no way I was not crossing the finish line.

Along the way I saw so many friends and family members. I even bumped into my former neighbor during the course of the run, and turned to see a high school buddy cheering me as I cross the finish line out of nowhere.

3.) What did you do upon completing the race: Upon completing the race I went home and rested and had a quiet dinner with my son, who was quite a trooper having given up Football Sunday to watch me run the race. It warmed my heart when he told me that “it wasn’t even a choice.”

I raised a little over $3,000. And every training and actual marathon mile was worth it -- not only for the funds I raised, but also for the awareness, outpouring of love and connections I made. This is something I will never forget. I feel quite blessed.

Original press release:

Lydia S. Antoncic will be running in the TCS New York City Marathon for the Marfan Foundation in memory of her ex-husband Rich Ciacci, raising almost $3,000 to benefit the charity. Lydia will be joining Team Victory on November 2nd to participate in one of the most popular races around the world.

Lydia, recently appointed to Co-Chair of the Legislation Committee of the New York Women’s Bar Association, concentrates on family and matrimonial law in Westchester County and the New York Metropolitan area. She is an experienced litigator for over 20 years, offering a uniquely personalized approach to all of her family and matrimonial law clients. She also represents children in neglect, custody, and other family court proceedings, which Lydia finds to be the most rewarding. “It’s all about the kids, and sometimes adults forget that while working through the divorce process. It’s my job to make sure that the kid’s needs are always the first priority.”

In addition to her caseload, Lydia has been training for the past sixteen (16) weeks for the TCS New York City Marathon in memory of Rich Ciacci, who found out he had Marfan’s Syndrome just five months after they got married and graduated law school together in 1994.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” says Lydia. “Our whole world changed – we found out that Rich would have limitations, frequent blood checks and the most devastating, there was a 50 percent chance it would be passed onto their child.”

After much research Lydia learned that there was an experimental IVF procedure where they could test their embryos for Marfan’s Syndrome and only pass on the ones that did not carry those genes. Together Lydia and Rich were able to have a healthy baby boy, who is now 16-years old. Although they divorced when he was two years old, they remained best friends.

Unfortunately, Rich passed away from Marfan’s Syndrome in August of 2011, which is why she has decided to join the Foundation’s “Team Victory” and compete in the TCS New York City Marathon. “I am honored to run this race in Rich’s memory, and I am incredibly moved by donations, support and expressions of love from those who knew him,” Lydia adds. Many individuals from the local community have also decided to donate, including New Rochelle-born County Legislator Jim Maisano, who knew Rich growing up.

Along with supporting the Marfan’s Foundation, Lydia is on the “TEAM MSP” Leadership Committee, a program run by My Sister’s Place, who work to end violence in intimate relationships and combat the effects of domestic violence and human trafficking on women, men and children throughout Westchester County.

About Lydia S. Antoncic

Lydia is the founder of Lydia S. Antoncic P.C., a law firm concentrating in family and matrimonial law in Westchester County and the New York Metropolitan area. She believes in a client-centered and holistic approach. Litigation surrounding family and matrimonial issues present unique legal and emotional challenges, and she strives to provide outstanding service and legal counseling that comes from years of experience, meticulous preparation and the highest ethical integrity.

As a skilled litigator for over 20 years, Lydia offers a uniquely personalized approach to her family and matrimonial law clients. In addition to representing private litigants in family and matrimonial proceedings, she also represents children in neglect, custody, and other family court proceedings. She is also an accomplished appellate attorney. Her practice areas also include personal injury, animal law and insurance coverage litigation.

For more information about Lydia or her services, please visit www.lsafamlaw.com or email Lydia@lsafamlaw.com. Anyone who is interested in supporting The Marfan Foundation can make donations through Lydia’s fundraising page through Crowdrise.

Photo: Lisa S. Antoncic. Photo credit: Contributed