Philadelphia Marathon: Runners cross finish line, raising thousands for cancer research

Thousands finish Philadelphia Marathon, raising money for cancer research

Months of training led to Sunday’s marathon, as thousands of runners laced up and took on the challenge of running 26.2 miles through Philadelphia.

CENTER CITY - Thousands of runners from all over the world crossed the finish line at the 30th annual Philadelphia Marathon, sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research.

"It was such a fun race, especially at the beginning when everyone is cheering," Rio King commented.

"Weather was perfect. The support was great. The course was awesome. A little hillier than I expected, but feel really good," runner Shiloh Schulte explained.

On a picture-perfect fall morning, spectators lined the race route, cheering on their loved ones and excited to see them tackle the 26.2 mile race.

"All the support always gets us through the last few miles when it starts hurting," Patrick Hally said.

Lower Gwynedd resident, Evan Horn was among those finishing and he explained his love for family compelled him to run, "My dad, Fred, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the central nervous system in summer 2020 and so, the following fall, a few friends of mine and myself came out and we raised $16,000 for the AACR."

Sadly, Evan’s motivation grew deeper one year later after his sister, Darcy, now 28, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma. "This hit my family like a truck all over again," he said.

The team rallied and raised more than $100,000 for AACR.

"I personally found an outlet through running. It kinda gave me a physical and emotional time away and channel to burn energy and emotions," Evan remarked.

Darcy and their dad are both past treatments and doing well. But, Horn’s connection to the sport and AACR will likely last forever. "People still check in about my sister, Darcy, and dad, Fred. Ask how running is going. Because, in my mind, all three things are so closely intertwined."

This year, the AACR Runners for Research team raised more than $500,000 to support cancer research, the most it has raised, so far.