NJ teacher pushes paralyzed alum to stunning time at NYC Marathon: 'Absolutely surreal.' A snag nearly derailed Belmar's Joe Rooney and Monroe's Mikey Nichols two miles from the finish. But they hung on to complete a remarkable quest.

Jerry Carino | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Training for the NYC Marathon -- with a wheelchair Watch Belmar resident Joe Rooney push paralyzed former Monroe High School hockey player Mikey Nichols in a training session for the NYC Marathon.

As they hit the 24th mile in Sunday’s New York City Marathon, an epic accomplishment within reach, Joe Rooney and Mikey Nichols hit a snag.

Rooney, a Belmar resident and Monroe High School teacher who was pushing the paralyzed Nichols in a Hoyt racing wheelchair, felt a searing pain that nearly cut him down.

“My hamstring clenched so hard, I thought I pulled it,” Rooney said. “I could hardly walk.”

READ THE BACKSTORY: 'We're doing something special'

He apologized to Nichols, fearing he couldn’t go on. The two had trained for months, raising $40,000 for the Christoper & Dana Reeve Foundation, a nonprofit leader in paralysis research. But the running gods smiled on this irrepressible pair.

“I was able to stretch it out and shake it up a bit, and the game-changer was a big bottle of water,” Rooney said. “It cost us a few minutes, but it went away.”

They crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 51 minutes, a pace of 8:50 per mile. It was a flabbergasting accomplishment. This was just their second race together, coming on the heels of last month’s Jersey Shore Half-Marathon. And Rooney had just one prior marathon under his belt.

“Joe was really a beast,” Nichols said. “I didn’t run 26 miles and it definitely kicked my (butt). I can only imagine how he’s feeling.”

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Rooney had plenty of motivation in the 23-year-old Nichols, who was paralyzed from the neck down while playing ice hockey for Monroe High School in 2014. He’s since regained partial use of his arms and earned an associate’s degree from Middlesex County College.

Nichols, who has trouble staying warm even on temperate days, was bundled up in three blankets, a hat, a hood and a facemask as they toed the starting line in 35-degree weather on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

“It was a tremendously difficult task for him,” Rooney said. “We hit all kinds of New York City cracks and crevices. Several times, I asked him if he was OK. He would shake his head yes. I thought he was uncomfortable but he’s such a champion, he wasn’t going to let me know.”

Steering the three-wheeled Hoyt racer requires skill and strength under normal circumstances. In a field of 50,000 competitors, it was doubly challenging.

WATCH: Check out a training session in the video atop this story.

“The sheer amount of humanity out there threw us off a bit,” said Rooney, a Howell native and former runner at Christian Brothers Academy. “We had to be diligent about communicating to the other runners. There was a lot of weaving in and out.”

Other runners and spectators who lined the course oozed support for the duo.

“I heard so many people screaming my name,” Nichols said. “Everyone was so uplifting and motivating, and that’s something I’ll never forget. It was absolutely surreal. I never thought I would be able to compete in the New York marathon, being a quadriplegic.”

Asked if they would be doing this again in the future, Rooney said he’s open to it and added, “I definitely want to take some time off right now and process that this happened. The real race is for the cure — spreading awareness and raising funds.”

That’s happening. After last week’s initial report about their quest in the Asbury Park Press and Home News Tribune, the story got picked up by TV, radio and newspaper outlets throughout the metropolitan area. Monroe High School threw an impromptu pep rally Friday, surprising Rooney with an appearance by Nichols.

“I’m nothing without the town of Monroe and the support that it’s given me from the day I got hurt until now,” Nichols said. “And that’s evident from the money we raised.”

Nichols originally set the fundraising bar at $30,000, then raised the goal to $40,000. They’re still accepting donations at https://give.reeve.org/fundraiser/2287902.

“I don’t like to settle,” he said. “I like lofty goals.”

Jerry Carino is news columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.