Thursday, October 1, 2026
Three North Shore runners, Brian Ryniker and Cormac Brady, of Sea Cliff, and Patrick Wright, of Glenwood Landing, began a four-mile challenge late on the night of March 4 to raise money for Glen Cove’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 347, which lost its headquarters in a fire in August. The four-mile trek was the first of 12, in which the runners put their endurance to the test.
Brady and Wright met while volunteering at NOSH, a North Shore Soup Kitchen program that delivers food to those in need. They also run together around the North Shore.
Brady got to know several VFW members at NOSH, too. “They’re an awesome group of individuals, very generous with their time and support of the NOSH program,” Brady said. “As a result of that, I’ve become quite fond and friendly with a number of the members who drive food to families in need for us.”
After learning about the fire at the VFW building, which also housed NOSH, and an event called the Goggins Challenge 4x4x48, Brady and Wright decided to use their distance running prowess to help the veterans rebuild.
“We like to do a couple of different events throughout the year just for ourselves,” Brady said, “but the Goggins Challenge, and linking it to a charity, we thought was a great idea.”
The 4x4x48, a grueling test in which participants run four miles every four hours for 48 hours, is named for David Goggins, a retired Navy SEAL and athlete, and is a way to raise money for charity while promoting fitness.
“For a runner, they might say four miles is easy. They are not wrong,” Brady said. “However, to do it for 48 hours, there comes the challenge, even for a seasoned, highly athletic individual. You are going to feel the challenge because of sleep deprivation, [and] the constant stop-start of it brings a different level of endurance to your typical event.” Brady and Wright said that other runners from the area, including Ryniker, joined their group, and completed the challenge with them. “Having friends and other runners join us just mentally helped you,” Brady said, “because you’re quite physically tired.”
“It was really inspiring and sweet and encouraging,” Wright said, “particularly at some low moments, to meet up to run, and there would be three other people there.”
The challenge started on March 4, and ended with the last run on March 6. The first and last run started and finished at the VFW. Over the course of a punishing 48 hours, Brady, Wright and Ryniker ran through Glen Cove, Glenwood, Bayville and other parts of the North Shore. Three of the 12 runs were done by an individual runner, and the rest were done together. The group tracked every run, documenting the conditions, whether during the day or in the middle of the night.
Each run was mapped out so they would stick to the challenge’s goals. “We didn’t want to accidentally run five miles or three miles,” Brady said. “We wanted to keep it at four. We’re all good runners. We’re more accustomed to running a 10-mile race or a 12-mile run, but [spreading] it over 48 hours is the challenge.”
Wright said he didn’t know how he would finish the last run. “It was super hard. It was crazy,” he said. “It was stressful, mentally, emotionally and physically. And at the same time, it was a lot of fun. Brian, Cormac and I did it methodically.”
For the group runs, Wright said, they sometimes started from Holiday Farms, in Glen Head, because the route was on flatter ground. “We would do everything to avoid a hill,” he said.
Their goal was to raise $5,000 for the VFW. Thus far, they have raised roughly $4,000 on GoFundMe. Although that’s short of their goal, Wright and Brady said they were happy with their accomplishment.
“I’m delighted to do anything in support of the VFW getting back into their building,” Brady said. “I feel fantastic that we were able to do the run. It’s good fun. It’s great to run with friends. It’s great just to get folks rallied.”
At the end of the last run, VFW members, the runners’ family members and 10 other runners gathered outside the VFW building to cheer on Brady, Wright and Ryniker and to present them with a certificate of gratitude. “It was just so joyful and totally unexpected,” Wright said.
“My son ran with me on the last leg,” Brady said, “and for him to see the VFW members coming out and cheering us as we crossed the finish line, even for a 15-year-old teenager, he’s like, that’s pretty cool. Him seeing the sense of community makes me feel great.”
Donations can still be made to the 4x4x48 GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/319ca8c9.
