Running for Life

Six years ago, Cuyahoga Falls resident Margaret Brown said she “couldn’t run from here to the corner.” Today, she is training to compete in the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon on June 5 and the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco on October 16.

What turned the self-proclaimed non-runner into a road warrior?

Cancer research.

Brown, 34, is a member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training  (TNT) program, which raises money for blood cancer research. Her two upcoming races will be the third and fourth times she will run for a cause very close to her heart.  

Brown lost her father to lung cancer in 1991 and three of her closest friends are cancer survivors.  “I do TNT events in hopes that someone else won't have to lose a loved one to cancer,” she said.

While she has a clear goal in mind for every race, her mission to run for a cure has not been an easy one.  

“For my first event I signed up for the full marathon in San Francisco [even though] I was not a runner. I hated running. I didn’t enjoy it and I couldn’t figure out why people would do this,” she said.  

With the help of her Team in Training mentor, Brown’s runs became more bearable. “She [my mentor] made every run fun. I [still] hated running but I liked running with her." Despite her mental breakthrough, an asthma attack kept her from completing her first race. Several years later, arthritis sidelined her again.

Today, her training is stronger than ever. “We run most days of the week with various mileages every day and our long run on the weekend. In addition to running, I do the elliptical two to three times a week and I swim 2000 yards in the pool.  ”

Brown says the success of her training is directly related to the cause. “I only run races that support a cause. I need to have something to work towards.” This year she has a double dose of motivation: her father and her friends.

“Ten years ago this October my dad lost his battle to lung cancer,” she explained. “ I ran my first event six years ago—the Nike Women’s Marathon—and I couldn't finish because an asthma attack stopped me. I want to finish this year, and I want to do it all for my dad.”

In San Diego, Brown will race with six of her friends—Lori Baylor, Lisa Edwards, Nancy Martinez, Amy Morgan, Katie Morgan, and Cindy Rocco, all of Hudson—as team 'Running with the Gnomies.'

“Of the seven of us, three are cancer survivors,” she explained. “Lisa [Edwards] had cervical cancer, Lori [Baylor] had thyroid cancer and Katie [Morgan] is a Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor, now 23 years in remission.

“You name a cancer walk, run or fundraiser, Katie has done it. And this year she wanted to do one for her cancer and asked us all to join her.”

‘Running with the Gnomies’ have not only committed to running with their friend, but they've pledged to raise $20,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society because “a cure for one cancer is a cure for all cancer,” said Brown. As their team website states: “We are running for all our family members and friends who have been touched by cancer. We’re running for each other. We’re running for ourselves. We’re running for a cure.”

And that is what has made all the difference for Brown.

“From [six years ago] to now is a totally different feeling. I am so excited to go to San Diego with these women and have this whole experience. People have been through worse than running a couple miles. For the three that survived cancer, they have been worse. We know how important it is to have research, and to have medicine and doctors that care. That money doesn’t appear, somebody has to fund it and we’re excited to be a part of that.”

As of press time, ‘Running with the Gnomies’ had raised 99 percent of their goal, with several fundraisers still planned. They will hold a Zumba Party at the on Friday, May 21 from 8-10 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and a raffle will be held. For more information on the team or to donate, visit their Team in Training page.

Brown has set a personal goal of $3,000 for her October 16 race.