A Year After Subway Hate Crime, NYC Man Reclaims His Marathon Dream

Daniel Cho, 46, is running this year's New York City Marathon, a year after a violent hate crime nearly ended his chance to ever compete. On Oct. 29, 2025, Cho was attacked on the platform of the Bowery J/Z subway station while heading to pick up a race t-shirt. He was raising funds for Apex for Youth, a Chinatown-based nonprofit supporting low-income Asian American youth, when a stranger punched him while shouting a racist slur, knocking him onto the tracks. Cho climbed back to the platform and called 911, giving police a description that led to a quick arrest. Authorities say his attacker was linked to four other anti-Asian assaults that same day. The injuries — including facial fractures and nerve damage — forced doctors to pull him from last year's race just days before it began. Cho underwent surgery to insert a titanium plate, along with months of therapy and acupuncture to address PTSD and lingering numbness. By spring, he decided to train again. Cho, who works for the city's Campaign Finance Board, says he's now running both to support Apex for Youth and to raise awareness about violent crime survivors, including the recent rise in felony assaults on the city's transit system. He says he's looking forward to seeing his family at mile 14 on race day.