YOU NEED TO KNOW
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NYC teacher Pedro Soto was feeling under the weather when he decided to go to the doctor
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After some tests, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
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Not wanting to take medication, he reveals the habit he picked up to significantly improve his diagnosis
Pedro Soto had a sore throat, so he went to the doctor, believing he had a viral infection.
However, when his doctor did a blood test, they found something else. In April 2024, the Manhattan school teacher, 56, says he “was officially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.”
His doctor recommended medication to bring it under control, but Soto was determined to make a lifestyle change first.
“After receiving the news, I chose not to start medication right away,” he tells PEOPLE. “Instead, I committed to exercise, running twice a week and improving my diet.”
It turned out that running would change his life.
Pedro Soto
NYC of the Soto Pedro Marathon
Inspired by one of his colleagues whose husband ran the marathon, Soto applied to the TCS NYC Marathon through an application made specifically for teachers. He had to share an essay in which he talked about his diagnosis, and was ultimately selected for the team.
As he trained and developed a running habit, he continued to undergo blood work scans and measure his results.
“I check my blood test every three months, and [it] it made a big difference,” he says. “Like three months later, I was even normal. My blood sugar level was normal, almost prediabetic, but normal.”
While type 2 diabetes — a chronic condition where the body does not respond to insulin properly, leading to high blood sugar levels — cannot be cured, it is can is reversed, per Yale School of Medicine.
The marathon took place on November 2, 2025, in New York City. Soto couldn’t begin training consistently until early August, because in June, he was also diagnosed with Lyme disease. It was also during this time that Soto’s father died.
Still, he used his runs as opportunities to work through his feelings and emotions, and to build his strength back from being sick.
“I was crying, and the way I cried [is] by running and having quality time to think about it,” he shares. “It was running to face my feelings and thoughts and make peace with myself and my dad. It was no coincidence that at that time I had to run and train. It was something that helped me a lot to process my loss.”
While he didn’t quite know what to expect with the race, he did his research by watching YouTube videos and reading.
“For me, it was amazing. It’s like a block party, but the block party is the whole city,” he says. “During the race, you’re going to feel some pain. You’re beating for hours, the same ligament, the same joints, the same bones and muscles.”
“Something will start to feel the pain, but the noise of the people there, the music, the joy, everything is stronger than your pain,” he added.
Another thing that kept him going forward was the motivation of his students.
“The last six miles are when your mind starts sabotaging you: Why are you doing this? You can stop at any time,” he recalls. “I was thinking about my students.”
Soto notes that he works with a “very special population” of students in a transfer program who have not been successful in rural school systems.
Pedro Soto
NYC of the Soto Pedro Marathon
“We bring them back to school using alternative approaches, pedagogy and engagement activities. They’ve been through a lot,” he continues. “Each of them is here for a reason, and not just one reason, multiple reasons. I have thought many times, if my students are feeling the pain they feel when they come to school, I can do it too.”
“I always think that I’m feeling pain, I’m feeling tired. The fatigue is affecting me right now, but they can do it. They do it every day. I can do it for another hour or two hours,” he says. “These students have been my inspiration to keep going. I know how hard it is for them… and they still come to school, and do their best. I can do it.”
The average age of his students is 17, with a few being 19 or 20. Besides being his motivation to run the race, Soto shares that his students are another motivating factor for him to take control of his health.
“If I’m in better shape, this will affect my students in a good way. If I’m sick and miss classes, I’m tired if I don’t feel well, this will affect my instruction in the classroom, my relationship with the students, and eventually my quality as a teacher,” he tells PEOPLE.
“Teachers get burned because sometimes they don’t balance their lives. This TCS marathon was a great opportunity for me to balance my life,” he continues. “Sometimes you need to support yourself or put yourself first. That was a great opportunity to do that.”
Read the original article on People