April 12, 2011

Stony Brook Athletics had a special guest visit the staff and student-athletes on Tuesday as part of the department's "Book of the Year" program. Matt Long, author of The Long Run, overcame a life threatening injury to once again become an elite athlete.

Long, a New York City firefighter and an avid runner, was struck by a bus on December 22, 2005, leaving him with traumatic injuries and near death. However, miraculously, after five months in the hospital and over 40 surgeries, Long began his road to recovery and in a mere three years he ran the 2008 New York City Marathon and then completed a 17-hour Ironman course in Lake Placid, N.Y., in 2009.

Today, Long also runs the I Will Foundation, a non-profit organization established to help people, with the will to work hard, overcome adversity and challenges caused by life altering illness or traumatic injury.

The Stony Brook Athletics "Book of the Year" program was instituted by Director of Athletics Jim Fiore in 2004. A book that highlights important topics relevant to professional and personal development is selected and purchased for the staff to read. The program culminates with the author's visit to campus and discussion with the entire staff. The various book topics are relevant to the Department of Athletics core values.