PINK
FEET is "Going the Extra Mile"
to help find a cure for breast cancer.
At a crossroads in my
life in 2007, I discovered two new passions....the love for travel and the
desire to help those in need. At that same time I had learned that the doctors
had basically said there is nothing more they could do for my grandmother who
had breast cancer, except try to ease her pain in her last few days. I felt so
helpless, living states away, and it was like everyone was living by the clock.
I wanted to do something but couldn't even find the words.
Shortly later, I came
across the commercial for the Susan G Komen 3 Day for the Cure. I knew right
then, that was what I could do. I made a promise to my grandmother I
would walk the 60 miles, raise funds, help spread the word, and continue to do what I could in the breast cancer
community to help find a cure. Hence "PinkFeet" was born.
The next year in 2008 the Inaugural 26.2 with Donna started in my town of Jacksonville, FL. Never being a runner, I decided if I could walk 60 miles with The 3 Day, the worst that would happen is I would walk most of the DONNA half marathon course. I trained with the Run/Walk Galloway program and the next year I even upgraded to the full 26.2 marathon course!
From 2007-2011, every Fall I walked The 3 Day and every Winter I ran the in the 26.2 with Donna National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer; raising donations along the way through word of mouth and hosting events.
From 2007-2011, every Fall I walked The 3 Day and every Winter I ran the in the 26.2 with Donna National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer; raising donations along the way through word of mouth and hosting events.
2011, my fifth anniversary of The DONNA,
left me feeling I should be doing even more. That was when I came up with the "half a month" idea. I would run a half marathon every month and help spread the word about
breast cancer, early detection, and a living a healthy lifestyle, as well as spread the word of The DONNA. In searching for half marathons to run every month, I quickly decided I would also 'Race the States' and run a half marathon in all 50 states! I would wrap up each year with the full 26.2 with Donna marathon.
November 2018 (7 years and 8 months of doing that half marathon a month), I completed State 40/half marathon 91 in Colorado at the Rim Rock Run at Colorado National Monument. The next day I went hiking, slipped on icy snow, and broke my ankle in 3 spots, requiring surgery with a plate and 10 pins.
Devastated I would not make my goal of 10 years of running a half marathon a month, I knew I had to find a way to at least keep my DONNA Streak. With the help of Brooks Rehabilitation Sports and Recreation, I was able to complete the marathon course using a hand cycle!
Four months post-surgery I trained on an antigravity treadmill to transition into running. By the end of month five, I had completed my first run/walk 5k and then 10k. I made it back to half marathon distance eight months post-surgery completing State 41, Alaska!
Still working to make my way back up to the marathon distance, I ended up breaking my other foot August 2020; a jones fracture tripping on a raised edge on a driveway. And then the world shut down with Covid and traveling for races/states was impossible. But my desire to finish that 50-state goal remained.
In 2022, The Pink Feet Finale finally took place! The running world opened back up and the stars aligned perfectly for me to take 9 trips to 9 different states to run 9 half marathons (4 of them being back-to-back weekends). It was a whirlwind of a year, but I am finally a 50 State Half Marathon Finisher!
The memory of my grandmother's strength and courage remained my motivation as I carried a picture of her with me every step of the way. Together we have raised over $76,146 for breast cancer organizations since 2007!
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