The 2024 Boston Half Marathon will be my first half marathon ever!! Training and completing this race will challenge me mentally and physically, but I want my end goal to be greater than my original "why". My "why" is simply to challenge myself. I want to use this experience as a tangible representation of the trials and tribulations I have experienced. When I cross the finish line, it represents a breakthrough of my mental barriers from challenging the thought that I would never be an endurance runner to questioning my worth and my purpose in life. My running journey stemmed out of the 75 Hard Challenge's need for a daily outdoor workout and some new feelings of invincibility. Showing up for myself day after day, regardless of how I felt, gave me motivation and also reminded me of my tenacity, drive, and discipline. Without a doubt, the Boston Half will be a fun challenge to test my capabilities. But, ultimately, I want to dedicate my training preparation and my race to those facing their own challenges.
On November 10, hundreds of Dana-Farber runners, including myself, will participate in the B.A.A.’s Boston Half. I am training to run 13.1 miles through Boston’s Emerald Necklace while raising funds to support groundbreaking research and extraordinary patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Thanks to your support, Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund continue to race toward the ultimate finish line: a world without cancer.
Every mile and each donation, no matter the size, supports The Dana-Farber Campaign, the Institute’s ambitious, multi-year fundraising effort, focused on supporting revolutionary research, extraordinary care, exceptional expertise, and other priorities, to help Dana-Farber accomplish it’s mission of preventing, treating, and defying cancer.
As a community, we have the power to create a more hopeful, cancer-free future, in Boston and around the world. I ask you to join me in my unwavering determination to this vital time in cancer care and research.
Thank you so so much for your support!
Lauren
