With most spring and fall endurance races cancelled this year, many races offered a virtual option. At GO2 for Lung Cancer, we had over a dozen endurance athletes already committed, training, and fundraising for “bucket list” fall races including a half Ironman, the Marine Corps Marathon, and New York City Marathon.

These athletes represent our entire community: from lung cancer patients to medical providers, caregivers, and those who have lost loved ones. The combination of training for an audacious physical goal along with fundraising for a cause near and dear to them is a perfect combination of challenge and catharsis.

It was with these athletes in mind that the My Perfect Marathon experience was created.

“We didn’t want to offer just another virtual race,” says Susan Smedley, manager of our endurance program. “Virtual endurance events can be lonely, and 2020 has already created enough isolation. We wanted to create a true community of athletes across the country who create and complete their perfect race—and have fun doing it!”

Two-year lung cancer survivor Keith Perry turned his training for the 2020 Santa Cruz Half Ironman into his perfect race. Supported by his family and friends along his perfect triathlon course, Keith inspired everyone, showing how research advances have led to treatments making an endurance feat like this possible. Read more of Keith’s story here.

Mary Ann Costabile’s team, Beth’s Brigade, was training for the 2020 Marine Corps Marathon to honor their friend, Beth Lazor-Smith. MAC, as she is known, recruited team members from Colorado, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Connecticut. They ran, hiked, and cycled their perfect race over the original marathon weekend, October 25-26, texting and supporting each other along the way.

Additional My Perfect Marathon athletes are still planning to complete their events in Wisconsin, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and in Kuwait, where a service member is deployed. Register here if you are interested in completing your perfect race.

To date, over $8,000 has been raised by these resilient and determined lung cancer advocates, all of whom who have first dibs on a guaranteed entry in the 2021 Marine Corps Marathon or 10K.

See our video to see what makes My Perfect Marathon different and completed event photos here!