- Pedro Soto, 56, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after a doctor’s visit for a sore throat.
- Instead of medication, the Manhattan teacher changed his lifestyle by picking up running.
- After six months, his type 2 diabetes was reversed and he ran the NYC marathon.
When 56-year-old Pedro Soto first learned of his type 2 diabetes diagnosis, he made the decision to prioritize healthier habits in his routine. In a recent interview with People, the Manhattan school teacher explains that he learned of his diagnosis when he visited the doctor for what he believed was a viral infection that was causing a sore throat.
Despite the recommendation from his doctor to begin medication to manage his condition, Soto decided to take matters into his own hands to improve his lifestyle, including picking up running twice a week. Six months after consistent lifestyle changes, Soto told People, “My blood sugar level was normal, near prediabetic, but normal.”
While there’s currently no permanent cure for diabetes, it is possible for people with type 2 diabetes to reverse it by lowering your A1C to a normal level. By managing blood sugar levels through diet and exercise, Soto was able to see positive results in the blood tests he did following his diagnosis.
But he didn’t stop there. Instead, he signed up to participate in the TCS New York City Marathon in November 2025. As a part of Team TCS Teachers, Soto made the choice to train for the 26.2 mile race—not just for his own benefit, but for his students.
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“If I’m in a better shape, that is gonna affect my students in a good way,” he shared. “If I’m sick and I’m missing classes, I’m tired if I don’t feel good, that is going to affect my instruction in the classroom, my relationship with the students, and eventually the quality of me as a teacher.”
Soto’s students are a part of a transfer program group who have not thrived in rural school systems.
“We bring them back into the school using alternative approaches, pedagogy and engagement activities. They went through a lot,” he said.
The marathon training period was not without personal hardship. Soto was also diagnosed with Lyme disease shortly after his diabetes diagnosis, all while grieving his father, who passed away around the same time. Soto wasn’t able to begin his marathon training until the beginning of August.
Nonetheless, he pushed on, using the time to work through the complex emotions.
“It was running to face my feelings and thoughts and make peace with myself and with my father,” Soto said. “It was something that helped me a lot to process my loss.”
In the end, Soto finished with a time of four hours and 21 minutes, putting him in the top 36% of finishers in his age group. When it became hard to put one foot in front of the other, Soto relied on more than just his body to cross the finish line.
“These students were my inspiration to keep going,” he shared. “I know how hard it is for them… and they still come to school, and they try their best. I can do it.”
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