Good morning on this bone-chilling Thursday.

This month, we asked readers to nominate candidates for New York Today’s New Yorkers of the Year series, our annual celebration of citizens who have made a difference in the city over the last 12 months. We received more than 100 submissions, and this week we are highlighting a few of our exemplary neighbors.

Tony Ruiz ran away from violence. Literally.

“Running essentially saved me from the streets of Brooklyn,” said Mr. Ruiz, who grew up in the projects of East New York and Brighton Beach.

“I was raised in neighborhoods that were pretty tough at the time — there were a lot of gangs — and one of the big things growing up for me was, if you don’t join these gangs or you’re not involved in certain things, people don’t like you,” Mr. Ruiz said. “You have to be in with certain groups.”

Running allowed Mr. Ruiz to stay out of trouble through his teenage years. And some four decades later, Mr. Ruiz, now the head road coach for the Central Park Track Club, is using it to help others.