WABC anchors finish NYC Marathon to honor Bill Ritter
Liz Cho and Mike Marza crossed the line in Central Park Sunday after training for the event to support the Alzheimer's Association.
By Larissa Shah ·
Two WABC-TV news anchors crossed the finish line of the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday to raise awareness for a colleague facing early-stage Alzheimer's.
The race took place on November 1. Mike Marza finished the 26.2-mile course with a time of 3 hours, 50 minutes, and 39 seconds. It was his second marathon. Liz Cho, who was running her first marathon, finished in 4 hours, 15 minutes, and 7 seconds.
Both anchors registered for the race in September to honor Bill Ritter, who announced his diagnosis and step away from the anchor desk in June 2026. Since then, Ritter has focused on reporting about the disease through his series titled Living with Alzheimer's.
Cho and Marza spent the months since their announcement training and fundraising for the Alzheimer's Association. Cho dealt with an injury during the final weeks of preparation but continued with her schedule to complete the course.
The two anchors reunited with Ritter at the finish line in Central Park. Cho described the experience as spectacular and said she saw a lot of joy from the crowd. She credited seeing friends Kemberly, Pedro, and Dani with fueling her when her energy dropped. She also mentioned seeing her mother and her daughter, Lulu, at mile eight.
Marza told Ritter that the day was incredible for all of them and for the cause. He praised Ritter for the courage it took to go public with the diagnosis. Marza said he was trying to match the grit Ritter shows in his daily work.
Ritter responded by acknowledging that getting Alzheimer's out in the public is the main goal. He thanked the anchors for completing the race in his support.
