Retiree who finished dead last in 2023 NYC Marathon back for more — ‘just warming up’

When Joel Kaufman of Queens walked crossed nan TCS New York City Marathon decorativeness line past twelvemonth past 8 p.m., aft astir runners and spectators had agelong since near Central Park, he earned an different honor.

“I sewage a telephone nan adjacent time from New York Road Runners,” Kaufman told The Post astir nan statement that produces nan 26.2-mile race. “[They] said, ‘You’re nan charismatic past finish.’ I said, ‘That is truthful great. I sewage a title that cipher tin return distant from me.’ It’s not for illustration being nan 57,000th finisher.”

Kaufman’s clip of 8 hours, 43 minutes and 34 seconds — a gait of 19 minutes and 59 seconds per mile — was his slowest successful nan decade he’s been stepping nan NYC Marathon to support group battling leukemia and lymphoma humor cancers.

The 66-year-old retired precocious schoolhouse mathematics coach who goes by “Whammy” will beryllium backmost for Sunday’s marathon — and this clip he’ll beryllium starting 2 hours earlier arsenic a motion to his inspirational story.

“I’m going to beryllium starting astatine 9:10, 10 minutes aft nan elite runners, pinch three-hour marathoners adjacent to me,” Kaufman said. “I’ll beryllium each nan measurement connected nan correct broadside of nan road, stepping pinch my cape and 50,000 group will tally past maine shouting, ‘On your left.'”

Kaufman wears a cape spotlighting leukemia patients and those who person helped him raise complete $150,000.

He besides sports an American emblem headband, a Jewish star, a military-style canine tag calling for nan return of Israeli hostages, a garment highlighting nan Team successful Training fundraising program for nan Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and a necklace of colorful feet that celebrates his pal’s betterment aft a stem compartment transplant.

A longtime hiker, Kaufman was inspired to commencement stepping nan NYC Marathon successful 2015 by a puerility friend who developed leukemia and has since died. He vanished nan title successful 7 hours and 40 minutes.

“Once I sewage successful marathon shape, I couldn’t conscionable spell backmost connected nan couch, and it surely filled my days and gave maine thing to do during nan time arsenic a retired teacher,” Kaufman said.

The begetter of 4 has completed marathons astatine Disney World and successful London and Chicago arsenic well.

Kaufman typically trains by stepping 5 miles each different day. He walks alternatively of runs to trim nan chance he’ll get injured.

That intends he’s connected nan people for a very agelong time. His fastest NYC Marathon was 6 hours, 53 minutes and 4 seconds successful 2017. His “dream time” is 6 hours, 30 minutes.

Marathoners person until 10 p.m. to complete nan five-borough people nary matter their commencement time.

Kaufman brings euphony pinch him, though nan artillery only lasts 5 hours. He usually finds personification to talk pinch to walk nan time.

He besides carries his ain snacks — pretzel crisps, macromolecule bars and Fig Newtons — and a h2o vessel successful lawsuit nan h2o stations are moving debased erstwhile he arrives.

Usually by nan clip he hits First Avenue successful nan Bronx, toward nan extremity of nan race, it’s a “zombie walk.”

“It’s dark, and astir of nan group that are astatine nan bars connected First Avenue, they hardly announcement you. A mates go, ‘Hey, you’re still running. Keep it up,'” Kaufman said. “[Once] personification said to me, ‘You could run.’ And I looked astatine him — that mightiness person been astatine for illustration mile 16 aliases 17 — and I said, ‘You could unopen nan f up.'”

His extremity pinch each marathon is to “finish and live.” Last year, he placed 51,266th of 51,348 finishers.

NYRR told The Post that Kaufman was nan past personification to officially transverse nan decorativeness statement — nan finishers listed aft him spent longer connected nan people but started earlier.

This year, NYRR is letting Kaufman commencement astatine nan backmost of nan first activity arsenic portion of Team Inspire, a group of 26 marathon runners — 1 for each mile — pinch nan astir compelling stories.

Kaufman plans to support adding chapters to his communicative by stepping much marathons.

“There’s nary logic for maine to stop,” he said. “I’m conscionable warming up.”