WASHINGTON – Georgetown University recent graduate and swimming & diving alum Rachel Armstrong (MSB'18) took part in the 4K for Cancer program over the summer, running from San Francisco to Baltimore to raise money for young adults and families affected by cancer. Recently, GUHoyas.com caught up with Armstrong and asked her about her experience.
 
4K for Cancer is a program created by The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Each team member had to raise at least $4,500, with most individuals significantly exceeding that amount—the 2018 teams raised almost $1 million dollars! The money raised goes directly towards helping young adults and their families impacted by cancer. The money raised helped fund scholarships, chemo care bags, Cancer to 5K (helps cancer survivors take back their life after battling cancer through a 12-week training program), the Ulman House (a brand new house near John's Hopkins in Baltimore for patients and family to stay for free while their family member is receiving treatment) and Young Adult Patient Navigation.
 
What got you involved with the 4K for Cancer?
I heard about the 4K for Cancer through a friend from high school who participated on one of the bike teams. I always thought it looked like an incredible experience and a great way to raise funds and awareness for young adults battling cancer. Cancer is such a widespread disease - almost everyone has some connection to the disease. This summer I ran in honor of my aunt and both of my grandmothers who lost their battles with cancer. I realized I would have some free time after graduating in May and couldn't think of a better way to spend my summer than running across the U.S. with 4K for Cancer.
 
What was the training regimen like? Did your background as a collegiate swimmer help?
4K provided us all with training plans to follow starting in January of 2018. Due to my swim schedule and BIG EAST Championships at the end of February, I altered mine to work with my schedule. Swimming provided a great cardiovascular base and made the transition into running more frequently in March much easier. Swimming is also an amazing cross-training workout for running. As a low impact sport, swimming is a good way to give the body's joints a break from the constant pounding of running miles on the road. In addition, the weightlifting and dryland workouts we did for swimming helped immensely with the transition into running. A strong core is essential for runners to avoid injury, and I believe that these workouts helped me avoid injuries during my training. I also went to yoga and spin classes to cross train with running in the spring.
 
What were the logistics of the trip?
The 4K program has run teams and bike teams. For 2018, there was a total of six teams – three bike teams (who traveled east to west) and three run teams (who traveled west to east). The run teams originated in San Francisco on June 17 and ended 49 days later. I was part of Team Baltimore 2018, so we ended our run at the top of Federal Hill in Baltimore on August 4th. The other two run teams ended in New York and Boston. On Team Baltimore, I was part of a team of 19 runners. Individually, we ran an average of 10-16 miles edh day. The mileage varied depending on the distance to our next location. We ran in pairs, and were paired with a different person on our team each day. Each pair ran in legs of about 2-3 miles at a time. We had support vans with us that held water, snacks, sunscreen, etc. We had rest days built into the trip where we visited hospitals and gave out chemo care bags and spent time with patients. We also had the opportunity to explore some of the places we visited—the Grand Canyon and Arches National Park were two of my favorite places. We were allowed to bring a backpack and a duffle bag that was distributed to us to hold all of our belongings. Our teams were kindly provided lodging by churches, schools, fire departments, YMCA's, etc. We each have our own sleeping bags and usually sleep on the floor, while a couple of times throughout the trip we were generously hosted by families who gave us beds. We had the majority of our meals donated to us by our hosts or local community members, restaurants, etc. For lunch, teams seek out food donations by local grocery stores or restaurants.
 
Were there any parts of the journey that were especially memorable?
There were too many memorable moments to describe, but I will pick a few.
 
In Indiana we went to Deaconess Gateway Hospital to visit patients and deliver chemo care bags. We got to meet and celebrate with a wonderful woman named Julie who was receiving her last chemo treatment. The joy that she exuded was contagious and I am so grateful for the opportunity to meet her. It was moments like these that grounded our team and reminded us why we chose to run 4,000+ miles across the U.S. together. It also reminded us how lucky we were to be healthy and able to run so many miles.
 
In Columbus, Ohio we met some amazing families that hosted us in their homes. While in Columbus, we got to meet Doug Ulman, the founder of the Ulman Cancer Fund. This was an extraordinary experience for us to be able to meet him. Doug is now the President and CEO of Pelotonia, a bike ride that donates 100% of funds raised to cancer research at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. We also got to visit the Pelotonia offices and some of us were so inspired that we hope to participate in Pelotonia in the next couple of years!
 
I will be forever thankful for the people we met on our journey. The hosts who opened their doors, kitchens, and hearts to 19 smelly runners, the random strangers who brought us water on the side of the road, the cancer patients who reminded us why we were running and the individuals who stopped us to donate and ask if we would keep a loved one in our prayers. The words "thank you" are simply not enough to adequately convey my gratitude. Every person we met along the way has inspired me to strive to be a better person. I hope that we impacted their life at least a fraction of the way that they impacted ours.
 
I'm not sure I will ever experience the rush of emotions and feelings I had when running into Baltimore on August 4 - the final day of our journey. My heart was full as I looked around at my teammates who are some of the most supportive, inspiring, compassionate and kindhearted individuals I have ever met. I cannot say anything but amazing things about each and every one of them. We ran up Federal Hill into a large crowd of family and friends waiting for us at the finish line. I immediately broke out into tears when I ran into the arms of my parents and two best friends. Their support throughout the trip meant everything to me, and I felt so blessed to have them there at the finish line.
 
To learn more about 4K for Cancer and Armstrong's journey this summer, please visit HERE.