Cancer Survivors Lace Up for Philadelphia Marathon Weekend to Support Lifesaving Cancer Research

PHILADELPHIA – The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the title sponsor of the AACR Philadelphia Marathon, has raised more than $380,000 for lifesaving cancer research with help from the AACR Runners for Research team, a diverse group of survivors, advocates, researchers, and those wishing to honor or memorialize a loved one.

Select team members are available for interviews to discuss their connection to cancer and why they chose to fundraise with the AACR:

Katie Rabinowitz

Living with metastatic breast cancer, Katie has raised more than $25,000 for cancer research
Running the AACR Philadelphia Marathon

• Katie, a Wynnewood resident, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer a week after her 35th birthday in 2023. It wasn’t her first experience with cancer – she had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2021. However, she believed her journey with the disease was over.
• Almost two years later, Katie is on a medication that is keeping her disease in check. She has realized how important it is to continue funding cancer research, because without it, she would not be on the treatment that is currently controlling her cancer.
• As an avid runner, Katie decided to join the AACR Runners for Research team and run the full AACR Philadelphia Marathon. After sharing her plan to participate on Instagram, Katie raised more than $10,000 in a matter of days. She has since raised more than $25,000.

Rachael Kipphut

Former sarcoma nurse who was later diagnosed with sarcoma herself
Running the AACR Philadelphia Marathon

• Rachael is a proud fifth-generation Philadelphian, staying local through college and graduate school. She eventually became a nurse and worked in a hospital sarcoma unit for several years. In 2022, she noticed a lump on her thigh, which was later found to be a sarcoma.
• Having experience caring for patients with this cancer, she knew she could lose her leg. Thanks to swift action and a comprehensive treatment plan, however, she is now cancer-free and grateful to have kept it. Her personal and professional journey has shown her firsthand the importance of advancing cancer research.
• Since her diagnosis, she has felt a calling to running – “I’ve got these legs,” she says, and she is going to use them. In addition to joining a weekly running club, she has become involved with the AACR Runners for Research team and will run the full AACR Philadelphia Marathon.

Karlie Kisha

Olympic athlete diagnosed with thyroid cancer
Running the Rothman Orthopaedics 8K

• Karlie Kisha (née Heistand), a resident of Berks County, had always dreamed of becoming an Olympian. Her aspirations were put to the test, however, when she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer a couple of months before the 2024 Paris Olympics, while training with the U.S. Field Hockey team in Charlotte.
• Karlie had to have surgery, but was determined to keep her recovery as short as possible so she could get back to training. With the support of her surgeon, she was back on the field in a matter of weeks and fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming an Olympian.
• Karlie’s cancer has not returned. She is a field hockey coach at Villanova University and is pregnant with her first child. She will be running the Rothman Orthopaedics 8K with the AACR Runners for Research team in an effort to raise funds for cancer research, where she hopes to see more progress made for everyone affected by cancer.

Read our interview with Karlie on the AACR’s blog, Cancer Research Catalyst.

CONTACT

Media interested in speaking with any AACR Runners for Research team members or AACR spokespeople can contact Kathleen Medora at [email protected] or 215-290-5408.