In five years, Nick Manis Jr. completed two marathons, polished off a 2-mile swim and traversed a 100-mile route in one sitting. Would the former Maryland men’s lacrosse player now consider himself an endurance athlete?
“More like an idiot,” he said with a laugh.
Manis’ most recent athletic achievement was that 100-mile run that began in Centreville in Queen Anne’s County on April 11 amid colder-than-usual temperatures in the 40s, persistent rain and 30 mph winds. Joined by friend LJ Urie and cousin-in-law Jeff Begin, the Annapolis resident and Severn graduate crossed the finish line in Ocean City in 28 hours.
Manis raised more than $255,000 — blasting past his initial goal of $100,000 — for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 by the “Back to the Future” and “Family Ties” actor and dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease. The effort was personal to Manis, whose uncle, Brian Adam, died of Parkinson’s at the age of 68 on Dec. 26, 2023.
“For me, this whole thing is about my uncle and raising money for Parkinson’s,” he said. “That was the goal the whole time. It wasn’t necessarily about my physical endeavors or what I was trying to accomplish. So I would say that I’m just a guy crazy enough to want to do this, but at the end of the day, it was all for my uncle. I saw the impact he obviously had on me and the impact he had on others, and I just wanted to honor him and figure out how to raise as much money as possible in his name.”
Ryan Morrissey, founder of PEAK Custom Fitness Solutions in Annapolis and Manis Jr.’s trainer, said he wasn’t surprised that Manis Jr., who played for Major League Lacrosse’s Chesapeake Bayhawks and Premier Lacrosse League’s Whipsnakes from 2017 to 2021, pulled it off.
“Nick is a pretty gritty person and has been through a few injuries in his career,” he said. “His work ethic is off the charts. And I know that a lot of people are not going to be able to push through the things Nick has pushed through, but that gave me the confidence because I know about his resiliency.”
Adam was married to Harriet Manis, older sister of Nick Manis Sr., Manis Jr.’s father. A native of Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, Adam played football at the University of Delaware and still owns the school record for most receptions in a game by a tight end when he caught 12 passes against Villanova in 1977.
The father of three daughters, Adam rooted vigorously for the Philadelphia Eagles. He sometimes supported the Ravens, who are Manis Jr.’s favorite team, and the two bonded over sports.
Known as “Big B” for his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame, Adam was a “friendly giant,” according to Manis Jr. But in 2013, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disease that can culminate in tremors, loss of muscle movement and eventually death.
Although the disease took a toll on Adam’s body, he remained upbeat and positive around family and friends. His attitude inspired Manis Jr.
“You can always find somebody who is probably going through something worse than you,” he said. “If he can put a smile on and not complain and not be upset with the situation and the cards that he was dealt, then I could do the same with whatever I had going on.”
In May 2020, Manis Jr., Urie and former Maryland long-stick midfielder Nick Brozowski took seven hours to run 26 miles on the Bacon Ridge Trail in Crownsville and swim 2 miles in the Severn River to a spot near Adam’s home. When paired with a half-marathon in Lake Tahoe in May by cousin Anastasia Adam and her husband Jeff Begin and a virtual Berlin Marathon in September by cousin Elizabeth Adam, they raised more than $86,000 for Parkinson’s research.
After Adam’s death, Manis Jr. had one more assignment in mind — the 100-miler.
Morrissey said he crafted a workout plan to strengthen Manis Jr.’s ankles and calves through walking lunges and sled pushes and leg muscles to power through fatigue tolerance by completing endurance runs after training sessions. He said Manis Jr. started running 10 miles per week and was up to 50 miles per week with runs of 25, 30 and 35 with friends.
Terps defender Nick Manis Jr., right, runs with the ball during a clash with Ohio State in 2017. Manis completed a 100-mile run earlier this year to honor his late uncle. (AP file)
With the counsel of local law enforcement agencies, Manis Jr., Urie and Begin often navigated two-lane roads with few shoulders. Backed by a support vehicle piloted by Manis Jr.’s and Urie’s fathers, the trio stopped occasionally at YMCA centers to change into dry clothes and Royal Farms stores to refuel.
Manis Jr. admitted he hit his wall early at about the 25-mile mark. But the memory of his uncle and the arrival of several friends who ran with the threesome at various junctures continued to drive him forward until he saw about 50 family members and friends at the finish line.
“When we got to the final stretch, seeing family was definitely emotional, and you’re just kind of powering through to get to the end,” he said. “I definitely thought about him a lot. I was a little upset with him for bringing the weather that he brought, but at the same time, we were able to laugh it off and get it done.”
Morrissey said he believes the mission of paying tribute to his uncle powered Manis Jr.
“If you don’t have a big enough why when it’s raining sideways and it’s 45 degrees outside and you’re running through Delaware at midnight, most sane people are going to shut it down,” he said. “I think having the why that was so monumental is what kept him out there. It wasn’t even an option or discussed ever to turn back, stop or cut the event short.”
Manis, who played for the Terps from 2013 to 2017 and was one of the top short-stick defensive midfielders on the 2017 national championship team, also credited his time at Maryland.
“Going through that program is a very big reason why I would have even considered doing something like this,” he said. “It gave me the mindset to be able to do things like this, for sure.”
After spending a year in training, Manis Jr. said he does not have any plans for another endurance event and is intent on spending time with his wife Gabrielle and their 7-month-old daughter Haven. He said he has an inkling of what his uncle would have said to him after the run.
“I think he would say, ‘Get it done. If you say you’re going to do something, you better do it,’” he said. “I’m sure he would have been overcome with emotion. … He would have been ear-to-ear smiling and enjoying it. I’m sure he would have loved to have been riding with us along the way.”
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