JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The DONNA Foundation announced new details for the 15th Anniversary of the National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer, including new host venues and a shift in dates to February 4-6, 2022.
The race was conducted virtually earlier this year, but organizers anticipate an increase in registration for the 2022 marathon due to the event’s anniversary year and desire by runners to have an in-person race experience.
To accommodate that growth, the race weekend will include several new venue locations across Northeast Florida.
”When the NFL changed its schedule by adding another game to its 2021-2022 season, we realized that our event would overlap with the biggest annual event in professional sports,” said Donna Deegan, Founder of The DONNA Foundation.
“Shifting our events up by one week will allow every organizer, participant and volunteer to fully focus on celebrating survivorship.”
Deegan is a three-time cancer survivor.
The former Jacksonville news anchor spent 30 years on the air. Her first battle with cancer was in 1999 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Two years later she was diagnosed again.
“I didn’t want to talk about it on the air anymore so I started a blog. I started hearing from women who needed assistance, who were choosing between food and medicine,” Deegan told Action News Jax in a February 2020 interview.
That’s what gave her the idea to start a foundation.
To date, the DONNA Foundation served more than 15,000 families, securing more than $550,000 in financial services and debt relief each year. The organization has also disbursed more than $3 million to develop and maintain the Mayo Clinic Translational Genomics Program, as well as operating events and programs for survivorship, education and awareness, according to their website.
📣 BIG NEWS! DONNA Marathon Weekend has a new date! To accommodate growth & the impact of the NFL's adjusted schedule, DONNA Marathon Weekend will now be held February 4-6, 2022. The event will also include new race options & venues. Get the details ➡️ https://t.co/5jYSBKkXEm pic.twitter.com/tEI6riMWWP
— 26.2 with Donna (@262withDonna) July 1, 2021
Additional details for the 2022 Marathon include:
- New start and finish location for Sunday races: The 2022 Half Marathon and the 15th Anniversary of the National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer will begin and end at Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach.
- New expo location: The DONNA Marathon expo and 5K race will be held at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds in Downtown Jacksonville.
- Anniversary 15K Team Relay: In celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the weekend, a new three-person 15K team relay event will be introduced.
- Virtual race options: All race categories will have a virtual option so athletes may participate from anywhere and complete their distances over time.
- THE PLAYERS DONNA 5K on Saturday, October 2, 2021, which will be held on the Back 9 of the PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass
- DONNA Mother’s Day 5K on Saturday, May 7, 2022, which will be held at the historic Friday Musicale in Riverside
Registration for all Fearless Series events will open on July 15, 2021 at BreastCancerMarathon.com.
For more information, visit www.TheDONNAFoundation.org.
©2021 Cox Media Group
