Legacy of Hope is proud to introduce Joe Rinaldi—a relentlessly genuine, straight-shooting human, no bravado, fit as hell, no drama kind of guy, and the most recent addition to our roster of sponsored runners for the Saucony Love Run.
Rinaldi, a 31-year-old native of Westfield, New Jersey, has called Philly home since 2016, when grad school for physical therapy brought him here. His love for the city kept him here. He lives with his wife, McKayla, and their dog, Theo.
As a physical therapist he grew tired of the constraints of the healthcare system, and veered away from the stability of routine physical therapy practice to start something hard. While he loved helping people as a physical therapist, he felt like he couldn’t make the kind of unique impact he desired. So he took the leap and started Project Endure, a place where people can “find strength within struggle,” do hard things, and get support and encouragement.
To be clear, when Joe talks about struggle, it’s not some abstract concept. He speaks from experience. At age 10, he was diagnosed with the ironically named Best disease (vitelliform macular dystrophy), a rare genetic eye condition that causes progressive loss of sight and eventual blindness. “Some years are stable; then, randomly, I’ll wake up and a piece of my sight is simply gone—forever.” Rinaldi is legally blind in his right eye, while his left eye remains “pretty good.” Fortunately, his brain is able to “stitch together something that feels almost like normal vision…unless you cover my left eye, then I’m useless.”
The diagnosis rocked his 10-year-old world. It’s no surprise that he felt sorry for himself initially; he didn’t want to be different. But, over time, something inside him shifted and he decided that “different” wasn’t a curse, but rather a superpower. He frames the whole thing like this: “there are two kinds of hard—the hard we choose, and the hard that chooses us. Both can be opportunities for growth, but it all comes down to perspective.”
This philosophy embodies how Joe lives, which brings us to why he’s running the Saucony Love Run Half Marathon March 29, 2026 as a Legacy of Hope / Philly Runs Free sponsored runner. His “why” is personal—and layered. His grandfather passed away in 2013 from lung cancer. Friends and acquaintances have been impacted by cancer, as well. And most recently, his wife’s aunt passed away after a seven-year battle with ocular melanoma. Joe and McKayla traveled to Canada to spend time with her. Then, a month and a half after their visit, she took a downturn and passed away. “It’s tough to see cancer affect good people in such brutal ways,” Joe said.
But Rinaldi isn’t wired to stop at “that’s terrible.” He’s the guy who asks: what can I do with this? And then chooses to do something hard—on purpose. He pushes himself for the people who can’t. He wants his miles to mean something beyond a number. That’s why this partnership makes so much sense.
Joe’s worldview is built around the idea that hardship is real, but isolation doesn’t have to be. “One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned through navigating challenge,” he says, “is that we don’t have to do it alone.” That sentiment came through in flying colors during his second crack at the PHL24 (2025), where, flanked by friends from Project Endure, Rinaldi shattered the previous record by logging an astronomical 82 miles! The previous record was 71 miles. It’s worth noting that Joe casually mentioned that he ended up on crutches after the event. “I didn’t break anything…`just “sprained a few things in my foot.” (Like that’s a normal sentence.) A testament to his humble character. Who doesn’t love the guy who will confront a brutal challenge, shrug it off, then get back to work?
But Rinaldi doesn’t chase suffering for suffering’s sake. He’s chasing purpose—and bringing other people with him for the ride. So when you see him out there at the Love Run, know who you’re actually looking at: a man who started losing his sight at 10 years old…and used that challenge over time to expand his vision, who embodies the notion that “your toughest season can shape you—not break you.” And that’s exactly why we’re proud to have him on the Legacy of Hope team.
If you’d like to support the cause but aren’t able to run the Love Run, you can contribute to Joe’s fundraising page.The next official group training session for the Saucony Love Run takes place on Saturday, February 21 at 8:30 AM. Visit this link for full details, to register and for a chance to win a pair of Saucony shoes or a free Love Run entry.
