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8 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
Desirae Piccoli
Cedar Grove runner has competed before, during and immediately after pregnancies
WRITTEN BY KAITLYN KANZLER
T
here are some
pleasures that can still
be enjoyed during the
coronavirus pandemic,
and according to health
professionals quoted
in Runner’s World, running outdoors
is one of them (as long as you do it
alone). That’s good, because to say
running is a family affair for Desirae
Piccoli would be an understatement.
Both of her parents ran in high
8
MAY 2020 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
school and college; before
the coronavirus, her husband
competed in races and triathlons,
and one of her daughters became
interested in the sport.
Piccoli, 35, of Cedar Grove, has
spent the majority of her life running.
At 6, her parents began taking her on
runs and to races, but she didn’t start
seriously competing until high school.
Here are eight things you should
know about her.
SHE HAS COMPETED WHILE
PREGNANT AND NURSING.
Not much stops Piccoli from
running. When she was pregnant
with both of her children, she ran
until she was about 6 months along.
During the 2015, 2016 and 2017
seasons, Piccoli placed in races
without training or completing a full
season. She was either pregnant or
taking care of her newborns.
She developed a hernia in her
pelvic area because of the added
belly weight, and began to cross-
train instead of running. Two weeks
after she gave birth to her daughters,
SHE BEGAN RUNNING
COMPETITIVELY IN HIGH SCHOOL.
As a student at Verona High
School, Piccoli ran cross country
and indoor and outdoor track with
her mom as the track coach. After
graduating in 2003, she attended
DeSales University in Center Valley,
Pennsylvania. While there, she ran
cross country and 5 and 10Ks. She
stopped briefly when she began her
teaching career. “[Running] helps me
clear my head and revamp and feel
good,” Piccoli says. “It’s my
me time.”
For the past five years, she
has won a long distance run-
ning award among women in New
Jersey road racing competitions. Last
year, she ran in nine races that were
certified by USA Track & Field New
Jersey and sponsored by New Balance
North Jersey, most of them 5Ks; she
won four and placed in eight.