Running in Memory

Brooks Sanders honors his late wife with every run he takes.

Running didn’t start as a hobby for Brooks Sanders.

It was his way of physically empathizing with his now late wife, Devon, after she was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.

Because Brooks couldn’t remove the pain from his best friend, he joined her in it. The sicker Devon got, the longer Brooks would run. Eventually, Brooks was prepared to run his first marathon: a choice he made hoping to empower his wife. “I thought, ‘I’m afraid to do this and I don’t want to do it, but every day, she’s getting treatment. She’s afraid’,” Brooks said.

At first, Brooks only saw himself running in her honor—but now, he runs in her memory. He started by completing both the New York City Marathon and the Philadelphia Marathon 20 days apart, shortly after Devon’s passing on October 26, 2024.

This upcoming Philadelphia Marathon will be Brooks’ fifth year running for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) with its AACR Runners for Research team. He still connects with Devon through running, feeling her with him with each step. He continues to raise funding for research for the individuals struggling like she did, so one day they might not have to.

“My identity without her is building a legacy in honor of her. I’m fundraising until I’m no longer able to do it, and I look forward to the time when my sons are running the Philly Marathon with me,” Brooks said.

Whether you are a patient, survivor, caregiver, or loved one touched by cancer, your story can have an enormous impact. You can provide hope and inspiration to someone recently diagnosed with cancer or a patient undergoing therapy.