This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.

Arnold Obey ran his first New York City Marathon in 1980. Then he ran it in 1981. Then in 1982. In fact, Mr. Obey ran it 38 times in a row, even after suffering a stroke and even if it took him nearly eight hours to complete the last one, in 2018.

Mr. Obey, a retired elementary school principal on Staten Island, N.Y., died of Covid-19 on Sunday in San Juan, P.R. He was 73.

Mr. Obey, who had a heart condition, was on vacation with his wife and sister-in-law when he began feeling seriously ill. He died four days later, according to his daughter Celisse Lundy.