For his third TCS New York City Marathon, Daniel Humm will be joined by more than 20 employees from across his restaurant group, Make It Nice.
The chef started the Make It Nice Running Club in April 2015, bringing staff together for weekly runs.
The restaurant group is joined by others in the industry, from bootcamps at Seamore’s to yoga at Emily, that have provided ways for staff to work out together.
“Restaurant life in general isn’t the healthiest lifestyle — we work long hours and eat odd meals at odd hours,” said Humm, 41. “It’s not only about being fit — it is also a way to get out of the restaurant, be together and decompress.”
Indeed, Humm said the runs help the staff regroup and connect, in addition to staying in shape.
“Aside from the obvious health benefits, it’s been a great way to bring us together,” he said. “The running club has connected members of our team who normally wouldn’t spend much time together.”
This Sunday, about 25 staff members from the front and back of the house at Make It Nice’s restaurants — Eleven Madison Park, NoMad and Made Nice — will run the NYC Marathon for the first time as a group since the club’s formation. The team is running the 26.2 miles in support of the charity No Kid Hungry, which works to end childhood hunger nationwide.
The running club meets usually on Mondays for a 7-mile loop around Central Park. For the marathon, they’ve been training with New York Road Runners coach John Honerkamp, who has everyone on RunTRIX, an individualized training program, Humm said.
During the marathon, the group plans to refuel with water and Clif Shot Bloks, and after they have a team dinner planned at Italian spot Pasquale Jones.
The running club has helped the team stick with their training, Humm said.
“When you’re tired or unmotivated, it helps to know that you’re in a group with others who are in the same boat but are finding the energy to train,” he said.
