Real estate pros hit the black;

To make it in real estate, one must possess a few key qualities: endurance, persistence and the ability to go the distance. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that some real estate’s stars will be pounding the pavement this Sunday in the ING New York City Marathon. The annual event, which tests runners’ endurance as they jog 26.2 miles across the five boroughs, will welcome several of the city’s toughest and strongest real estate experts this year. Click here to see who hopes to cross the finish line.

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Gordon Golub, director of rentals at Citi Haitats

Gordon Golub, executive vice president and director of rentals at Citi Habitats, is making his New York City marathon debut this year. Golub is running in honor of his assistant Liesel Ashby’s late grandson, Kyle, who lived with hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy and died earlier this year at the age of eight. The marathon is significant to Golub in other ways, as well. “I never thought I would run a marathon, but I made a commitment with my good friend that we would run the New York Ccity Marathon together to celebrate our 40th birthdays — a ‘bucket list’ sort of thing,” Golub said, referring to his choice to run the race. Golub has raised $4,000 for his chosen charity, Team for Kids, for whom he is running this Sunday. Luckily he can count on his Citi Habitats team cheering him on during the race. The firm has planned a “Citi Habitats cheering station” on the corner of 84th Street and First Avenue, according to a company spokesperson.

City Connections agent David Vandenberg, who began running with his wife, Allison, after moving to New York from Jackson Hole, Wyo. five years ago to “save our sanity,” will be among the athletes in this Sunday’s race. He and Allison, who is also running this Sunday, train together and run upwards of 10 races a year as a team. While they “may not always run together,” Vandenberg said, they’ve certainly spent plenty of time preparing for the long slog as a team. “Running has been a great way for the two of us to stay connected on a day-to-day basis,” Vandenberg said.

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City Connections agent David Vandenberg

— While most people are still sleeping at 4 a.m., Charles Glatter, an executive vice president with Halstead Property, is up and running. Glatter, who describes the race as a “tremendous personal achievement,” is raising money for a children’s charity.

— One-time New York City Marathon volunteer Justin Cooke is getting in on the action this year. The Bellmarc Realty agent has run in three marathons in the last 12 years, but never one in New York City. He said that balancing training with a social life has been a challenge, noting that during his “peak” training times, he runs about 45 miles a week and doesn’t do much “besides work, train and sleep.”