The moneymaker

Ten years ago, Eric Gelber set out on a simple mission: run the NYC Marathon to raise money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation in support of a family friend, Anita, who’d been battling the rare blood cancer for four years. Gelber raised $6,000 that year, but the Chappaqua, NY-based real estate executive, now 49, saw potential to do more.

“After my second marathon, I learned a little more about ultrarunning, and thought, ‘Hey, maybe if I run a little further, people will give me more money,’ ” he says.

In 2013, after years of running increasingly longer ultramarathons, Gelber decided that the best way to draw attention to his cause — and raise more money from onlookers — was to attempt a 200-mile run in Central Park.

“My goal was to raise $100,000,” he says. “I only ran 165 miles, but I raised $145,000.”

He fell short again in 2014 but cleared $240,000 in donations. After detouring to the desert for an ultramarathon in 2015, he decided to give the 200 miles another shot this past September.

“We marketed it as the third and final attempt,” he says. He prepared by training less than he had in previous years — to avoid fatiguing his body. And instead of pushing through his exhaustion, he built a few small stops into his run.

“I took five 20-minute naps, for a total of an hour and 40 minutes of rest, over two-and-a-half days,” he says. It proved to be a recipe for success. “In just under 60 hours, I completed the 200 miles and raised $320,000,” he says — bringing his total money raised to more than $1.1 million.