Running has been a constant through Tatiana Simons’s NYPD career. She began racing with New York Road Runners in 2014 as a Police Academy cadet and kept running as she advanced in the department. As a patrol officer, she said, her fitness helped her pursue suspects, the New York Daily News reported.
A running habit alongside police work
Simons was promoted to sergeant on Friday. Before the promotion, she served as a detective in the NYPD’s Office of Management Analysis and Planning. She also has a degree in accounting, according to the Daily News.
Racing during cancer treatment
The Daily News reported that Simons is scheduled to run Sunday’s marathon cancer-free for the first time in several years. In 2025, she ran the Boston Marathon and had a double mastectomy the following day. She chose to race despite others advising against it, the newspaper reported.
Simons said running helped her cope during treatment and that her diagnosis strengthened her resolve to keep going, according to the Daily News.
Breast cancer patterns in New York City
The experience described here is one person’s story. In broader city data, white women had the highest breast cancer incidence in New York City, while Black women had the highest breast cancer mortality, according to SILive.com, reporting on a July 2026 report from the city Health Department.
Family and Sunday’s race
Simons wears a badge that belonged to her father, Vladimir Simons, a retired NYPD sergeant. Her husband is an NYPD Harbor Patrol lieutenant, and their sons, ages 3 and 4, are expected to cheer her on with other relatives, the Daily News reported.
The 2026 race marks 50 years since the New York City Marathon adopted its five-borough course in 1976, according to amNewYork. The outlet also reports that about 60,000 runners are expected; the Daily News says participants will come from more than 140 countries.
The 26.2-mile race is listed for an 8 a.m. start on Staten Island by New York Road Runners. The course crosses the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, passes through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan, and finishes in Central Park, according to amNewYork.
