David Montoya takes a training run in preparation for the New York City Marathon. He will run the marathon on Sunday, Nov. 1, to benefit the Hole in the Wall Gang Foundation. Photo courtesy of David Montoya Four months ago, islander David Montoya could barely run three miles. In seven weeks, on Sunday, Nov. 1, he will run the 26.2-mile New York Marathon.

A high school football injury left Montoya with several torn ligaments in his knee, ending his dream of playing college football.

“Having that happen to my knee just basically ruined everything I thought I was going to do in my life,” Montoya said. “I had to figure out what I was going to do with my life, what I was going to do now. I really didn’t want to do anything that I thought could hurt my knee and that included running.”

Montoya was friends with Ali Dunn Packer, the namesake of the annual Ali’s Run race. “She was a very close friend of mine and I had been feeling like I should run the race for the last year or two,” he said. “So, I decided this summer I should run it and it really inspired me to do more.”

He said his Ali’s Run time was “terrible” at 36 minutes for the 3.2- mile course, but it motivated him to want to do another race. The race he chose was the Blessing of the Fleet, a 10-mile run that took place just six weeks after Ali’s Run.

“I remember running my first five-mile training run with my friend, Cam Allen. He isn’t a runner, either, and we set a goal for ourselves that if we could do the 10-miler at a nine- or 10-minutemile pace, we would be happy,” Montoya said. “We ran the whole thing and I beat the time we had allotted by about 15 minutes.”

A friend who has trained marathon runners and Olympic athletes helped Montoya with a training schedule to prepare for the run.

“He had us do endurance for three days, rest, long distance, endurance and then rest again,” Montoya said. “We built up. We would run three miles, then four miles, then five miles and then take a few days off.”

Working with Allen was a motivator, he said, because of the mental reassurance he gained by running with a training partner.

“I would say, ‘If he can do it, I can do it, too.’ If he could go the extra mile, then I felt like I could do it,” he said.

Montoya was so motivated after the Blessing of the Fleet run that he decided to sign up for the Amica half-marathon in October.

After signing up for the race, a conversation with his older sister, Michelle, about his special-needs niece led to the idea of running a full marathon.

“I was talking to Michelle and I said I would really love to do something for Josie. I would love to run the Boston Marathon for Josie,” he said. “She will probably have no idea her whole life that I did this for her, but this was something that I had in my mind that I wanted to do for her.”

While registering for classes at the Community College of Rhode Island, Montoya crossed paths with a woman whose daughter has sickle cell anemia and had attended the Hole in the Wall Gang camp in Connecticut.

The camp, which helps more than 15,000 people annually between its residence and outreach programs, was started by actor Paul Newman to serve children and their families coping with serious illnesses and conditions.

Because he already had the idea of running a marathon for his niece, Montoya researched the camp and found out they had spots open for the New York City Marathon.

“I thought what a great opportunity that would be to run this race. I went back over there the next week and told her that I was going to run the race for the camp and her daughter,” he said.

His training schedule had to be dramatically increased to prepare for the race, but when the going gets tough, Montoya remembers the reasons he is running.

“I know another family with a child that has needs so severe that she requires around-the-clock care,” he said. “I would love to incorporate as many people as I can get inspiration from as possible. I want to take something tangible with me to remember exactly what I am running for. Some of these kids go to the hospital every day and all I have to do is train for a race.”

Montoya has the support of his family and he hopes to involve the community in the special project. As part of his training routine, he is scheduled to make a 22-mile run on Sunday, Oct. 4. His plan is to run from Beavertail to South Kingstown.

“One way people can help is by sponsoring to go with me that day. They can bike it, they can run two or three miles with me, whatever they feel like doing with me they can,” he said. “I think getting people involved and showing them that they can help, too, is important.”

What started out as a way to show support for friends and family has turned into a passion for Montoya.

“Some doctors thought that I would never walk or definitely not run again after I hurt my knee and I am already looking at what my next marathon options are after I finish this one,” he said.

Tax-deductible donations may be made online by going to www. teamholeinthewall.org, clicking on the sponsor teammate link, choosing the NYC Marathon link and entering David Montoya.