2026 event recap
Team Chordoma brought together more than 100 participants around the world in 2026, with community members running, walking, and cheering in Jersey City and from their own neighborhoods near and far.
The day was a powerful reminder of what this community can accomplish together, bringing people affected by chordoma, families, friends, supporters, and advocates together around a shared mission.
Team Chordoma was launched more than a decade ago by Steven Mandel, whose passion and leadership helped build the event into the meaningful tradition it is today. Thanks to Steven, along with the generosity and commitment of countless donors and fundraisers over the years, Team Chordoma is now just shy of an incredible milestone: $1 million raised cumulatively for the Chordoma Foundation.
These funds help fuel progress toward better treatments and care for everyone affected by chordoma, and this milestone reflects the extraordinary dedication of the entire Team Chordoma community.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated, donated, fundraised, volunteered, or cheered from the sidelines, and to The LIV Method for providing our awesome team shirts. (If you haven’t made a gift to Team Chordoma yet but planned to, you can do so here.)
Thank you for making Team Chordoma 2026 such a memorable celebration of community, connection, and progress. We can’t wait to do it again next year.
History of Team Chordoma
Photo: Chordoma survivors Steven Mandel and Frankie Cordero
The Team Chordoma tradition began when Steven Mandel, a sacral chordoma survivor and Chordoma Foundation Board member, wanted to raise money for the Chordoma Foundation after his diagnosis and treatment in 2012. He completed his first half-marathon in Miami in 2014 and raised over $20,000. The next year, they ran in Miami again. This time, Steven shaved 25 minutes off his time and finished in the top 350 out of 13,000 runners (and top 50 in his age group) — and raised another $50,000 for the Chordoma Foundation. In the years since, Steven and his growing team of supporters have run additional races, including the Brooklyn Half Marathon and the Cardiff Half Marathon. The annual event, now known as Team Chordoma, has raised an incredible $700,000 and counting.
“I’ve been very fortunate,” Steven says. “I had my tumor removed and I am doing well. I’m in the best shape of my life. But a lot of people dealing with chordoma don’t have a fate like mine, so this event is about trying to make the lives of everyone affected by chordoma better.”