Matt Long

Matt Long is a 17-year veteran of the FDNY, elite athlete and author of The Long Run. He played basketball in high school and it was required that the team run the Brooklyn/Queens X-Country Championships. Long finished the race in 5th place, which was impressive as he had no prior running experience. Long attended Iona College where a high level of fitness was mandatory to be on the basketball team. All of his training became a habit as strength and endurance became a paramount for his career as a firefighter. Not long after becoming a firefighter, Long took up distance running and began competing in Ironman triathlons. He finished his first Ironman race in 2005. Long’s life changed on December 22, 2005 when he was cycling to work and was struck by a 20-ton bus making an illegal turn. Long’s injuries pushed him to the brink of death as he received 68 units of blood in the first 40 hours and he spent a total of 5 months in the hospital. Long had a miraculous recovery which included learning how to walk again. Three years after his accident, Long was back and running in the 2008 New York City Marathon.