63-Year-Old Montville Man Preps for 100th Marathon

One Montville man is preparing to run his 100th marathon in November. However, recent bad news has lit a new fire under this runner.

Joe Huber, 63, will be running in the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday Nov. 3 as a member of the American Cancer Society's DetermiNation Team.

When he started preparing, he dedicated this race to three people, battling with cancer, who are very close to him: Sister-in-law Susan, friends Karen and Audrey.

However, “my 100th marathon has just taken on a new urgency.  My sis, Anna, was recently diagnosed with cancer, and now she joins Susan, Karen and Audrey in their fight to beat back this insidious disease,” said Huber. “We need to find a cure for cancer.”

Huber has raised, $10,767.01, or 93 percent of his $11,518 goal, as of Sunday evening. Go to his fundraising page to make a tax-deductible donation. If you get hungry, head over to Gencarelli's Restaurant at 1 Hook Mountain Road, in Pine Brook where 10 percent of all sales, including gift certificates, will benefit Team Huber.

Huber ran his first marathon in 1989 and so far, “it has been an incredible journey.”

“I believe that the marathon is, in many ways, a metaphor for life:  Good preparation is necessary to succeed, the course is filled with many challenges; there are unexpected obstacles to be met and overcome, and perseverance is needed in order to cross the finish line under the most trying circumstances. But there are much tougher courses to run than the marathon,” said Huber.

“As important as this race is to me, I have come to realize that there are many among us, including people very close to my heart, who have not enjoyed the good health with which I have been blessed, and which has allowed me to reach this milestone.  These individuals and their families are in a race far more challenging and important than mine. They are racing to beat cancer, and I am joining their race.”

His sister-in-law, Susan, is battling cancer for the second time. Karen, “one of our dearest friends, amazes me every day with her feistiness, which is often characterized by her (very strange!) sense of humor. She doesn’t pull punches and tells it like it is.” Lastly, Huber does not know Audrey very well, but does know “her dedicated sister, Judy, and her equally amazing mother, Libby.  I see their extraordinary devotion to Audrey and it reminds me that I am running as much for the caregivers as I am for the cancer survivors.”

Huber’s marathon running started late in life, when he was in his 30s and now runs 5-8 marathons a year, placing in his age division at numerous races, according to his Coach Up profile.

In 2010, the New York Times did a story on Huber when he was preparing for his 75th marathon at the age of 60.

“If I get to 100, it’s my dream,” Huber told NYT. “It’s such a symmetrical number. I ask myself, Would you really hang it up at 100? It feels so good when you make it to the end.”

For his 100th marathon, with the four cancer fighters on his mind, Huber said, “I can't think of a better way to mark my milestone occasion.”