On April 4, 2027, I will be running the 10th edition of the London Landmarks Half Marathon charity race to support the nonprofit Breast Cancer Now. This cause is deeply personal to me, as it honors the memory of my older sister who bravely faced breast cancer.

Kim was diagnosed with breast cancer before she was 30. After timely treatment, the cancer went into remission. In the years that followed, she seemed to be determined to prove nothing was impossible for her. This was most evident in the physical challenges she took on. After mostly being an amateur couch potato, she learned to love 10k's, half marathons, then marathons, and when those got boring... the grind of Iron Man training & triathlons.

A few years later she was diagnosed with terminal, stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. It didn't stop her from continuing to live her life to the fullest. She swapped out her running shoes for gardening tools, was always willing to share her edibles, and kept her job as a nurse as long as she was able -- even while immunocompromised in the middle of the pandemic. Through all of this though, the thing she missed most was being able to go for a run.

After fiercely living on her own terms, Kim passed away in 2023. Her courage, sheer will, and grace in dealing with the most difficult of circumstances is an inspiration to me each day.

One of my regrets is not joining her for a race during her running phase. But every time I lace on my running shoes, I think of Kim's grit and am mindful of being able to run the runs she loved.

I'm proud to raise money for Breast Cancer Now by participating in this half marathon. They fund world-class research and provide support to anyone affected by breast cancer. By running in this race, I hope that I'm carrying a small part of Kim's legacy forward and helping others through their own journeys.