I ran the NYC Marathon on November 2, 2014 in support of Waldenstrom’s research. This was my fourth marathon but first NYC marathon. It was a challenging 26.2 miles especially with the cold and windy weather. The course touches all five boroughs of New York City: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan uniting dozens of culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods, crossing five bridges and finishing in world-famous Central Park.

It was the largest marathon ever with 50,564 finishers! At many points during the race, I drew inspiration and motivation from our patients here at the Bing Center as well as the WM community. And I knew I was running for a great cause which got me to the finish line in a personal best time of 3 hours, 20 minutes and 16 seconds.

Thank you all for your generous donations which is going toward funding Bing Center for Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia research endeavors. We have a world-class research team here that continues to be on the leading edge with breakthrough discoveries that will make a huge impact on WM for the better. Thank you for your part in advancing WM research and supporting my NYC marathon. Next up is the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2015!

- Sandra Kanan, N.P.