Born to Run

SO…DO YOU run here often?

It was 2016 when Kate Shumeyko and Paul Capuzzo met through a friend at a race, and sparks flew. The pair went for a run on their first date and five years later were married in Kate’s parents’ backyard in Pompton Plains. Both avid runners and athletes, the two have formed a life together centered on family and fitness.

Kate, a lifelong resident of Pompton Plains and a Pequannock Township High School alumnus, ran in middle and high school, running 5K and 10K races. But it wasn’t until college that she pursued more extreme goals thanks to the example of her parents. Kate’s mom Mary would run distances including half marathons (13.1 miles) and her dad Dan would complete triathlons, biathlons, and run full marathons (26.2 miles).

“Watching my dad run the New York City marathon when I was in college was a great inspiration for me to try running farther distances,” she says. Kate completed her first half marathon with her mom at the Jersey Shore: Sandy Hook 2000, then her first marathon with her dad, the Philadelphia Marathon in 2002.

LACING UP

She graduated from Rutgers with a bachleor’s in art history and psychology and then attended William Paterson University for an art education certification in 2001. Kate’s been teaching elementary art since. She currently teaches in Wayne at A.P. Terhune and Randall Carter Schools. Kate also works at the running store, Fleet Feet in Montclair in summers and some weekends since 2006. In addition, she coaches under her small coaching profile (The Pinecone Project) and currently has seven athletes for road and trail races, which are her specialty.

Kate’s passions are in trail and ultra distance running. She has run six 100 plus mile races, eight races of 50 to 80 miles, at least 20 50k’s (31 miles) and 20 road marathons, including four Boston Marathons. Her proudest athletic achievement was a point-to-point race between New Jersey and New York (approximately 70 miles). In this type of race, runners carry everything with them. Navigating terrain on your own and in the dark as the race starts in the evening is a challenge.

“It’s fully self-supported. You carry everything you need, navigate, filter water from streams, and make checkpoint time cutoffs to be allowed to continue on. It has over 10,000 feet of elevation and is extremely technical trail terrain,” says Kate. She attempted the race twice before but completed it on her third try and won in September 2024. The race took 25 hours 51 minutes, earning her a coveted Tomahawk medal. She also won the Tomahawks for the 30-mile races in 2019 and 2023.

AT YOUR MARKS

Paul Capuzzo hails from Emerson, New Jersey and ran in high school and college. He started triathlons in 2003 and completed his first full Ironman race in 2022 in Lake Placid (and again in 2024).

A graduate of St. Peters College, Paul earned a degree in mathematics in 1995 and a master’s in mathematics from Montclair State in 2004. He teaches math and computer science in Old Tappan at Northern Valley Regional High School. In addition to teaching, Paul is the owner of the training business Capuzzo Multisport Coaching LLC, coaching mostly local athletes (both virtually and in person). Clients receive training via software, and meet ups are planned for running or biking with Paul.

Although Paul is used to motivating others, a bike accident in 2020 prompted self-motivation to recover.

“I was injured badly on a training ride,” he says. “I broke my clavicle, bones in my neck and skull, fractured a rib, had plastic surgery to repair my ear and countless sutures in my face and ear as well as road rash all over my body.”

Impressively, Paul recovered and raced in the Ironman in Lake Placid (with a steep 8-mile downhill course, which is done twice). Getting back to competing was a big accomplishment for the athlete. “To reframe that crash as something I could grow from was so important to me,” he says.

This year, Paul qualified for Ironman 70.3 World Championships at the Eagleman 70.3 race and will now compete at Ironman 70.3 Worlds in Marbella, Spain on Nov. 9. To prepare, he will do plenty of swimming at Spa 23, runs on the Rail Trail in town, bike locally as well as in Montville, Kinnelon, and Harriman State Park for hills.

“This is a great area for training,” he says. Kate will join him in Spain to cheer him on.

LIVING THE DREAM

“We have the love to compete in common with the people we train, we lead by example with our own lifestyle of proper training, eating, sleeping. We walk the walk,” says Paul.

Kate and Paul are pescatarians, stay away from extra sugar when training for a competition, and increase their protein. “We follow a Mediterranean diet,” says Paul.

Kate encourages those starting out to start easy and become consistent. “Go slow in the beginning. Build structure and routine. Hydrate! Trust the process!” she says. Both Kate and Paul are currently preparing for their next challenges.

“Right now, all my eggs are in one basket, my first international competition in Spain,” says Paul. “I feel the experience will make me a better coach.”

Kate is training for a marathon in December in Sacramento, California (CIM California International Marathon) and then the Boston Marathon in April of 2026. She loads in trail races throughout the year and will add in more ultra distances after she finishes Boston in April.

The couple spend their free time training. “When training for an event, it’s for better or worse,” they share. Kate also likes to craft, thrift, and host crafting parties with friends. They both love traveling to Maine, “it’s a great place for training,” and enjoy spending time with friends in town and of course, their family.

Athleticism definitely runs in the family! Kate has a son, Julian (19) who was a successful wrestler and golfer at PTHS, a daughter, Sylvie (16) who is dedicated to PTHS Color Guard and softball, and Paul has two sons, Joe (20) a competitive D1 runner at Canisius University and Matthew (17) a competitive rock climber. They also have two dogs, Hoppy and Georgia.

The family enjoys plenty of local spots in town such as Ameti’s for family pizza nights, Francesca’s bakery, Defying Gravitea, Tavern 5, and Pompton Nutrition to name a few. The biggest activity for the pair is to cheer for their children and enjoy their two dogs. Supporting the kids in all they do is very important to them.

Much like an ultra-marathon, their love goes on and on. “I think Kate and I thrive individually as endurance athletes because we each know we have the other’s support and understanding,” says Paul. “We share ideas, we talk out things we’re struggling with, we help advise each other’s athletes, and so much more. I think we complement each other perfectly and I’m so grateful to have such an awesome partner.”

Kate couldn’t agree more: “Paul is my best friend. We genuinely enjoy each other and can be our true selves. Because we’re both endurance athletes, we understand and support each other unconditionally. He’s the person I need to call when I’m having a rough patch in my really long races. He listens, lets me cry when I need to, and then gently pushes me forward to keep going. He’s the perfect partner for me in racing and in life!”

For more information on training with Paul or Kate, visit www.cmctri.com for Capuzzo Multi Sport Training LLC and Kate’s Instagram, Pinecone Trail Running @pineconetrailrunning

BY ANTONIETTA HENRY