Bette Clark came to running late—she was 48—but she was a natural. Long distances, half marathons, marathons, trail running. She took to it all, and she loved running with the group she discovered, the Van Cortlandt Track Club in the Bronx, New York.
“When I started running with other people who were training for all these races, I found I really liked the competition—the camaraderie,” she says. “I like the whole running scene. I just was really hooked quickly.”
In November 2005, she ran her first marathon—New York City—at age 50, and she qualified for Boston. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her first question to her oncologist: “Will I be able to run Boston in April?” Clark says. “They looked at me like I was nuts.”
Clark’s breast cancer was not entirely shocking—her own mother had the disease and died at age 35 when Clark was only 4 years old. Throughout her adulthood, Clark was vigilant about getting mammograms. But a mammogram didn’t pick up the tumor that she had, and the aggressive cancer had already spread to 13 lymph nodes by the time she discovered it herself. “It’s really important for women to know their own bodies and check things out that feel different,” she says.
Aktiv Against Cancer DAA Industry Opt Out.
All of 2006 was a series of surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. (As it turned out, she wouldn’t have had the strength to run Boston and ended up deferring to the following year.) Through it all, even when fatigue made it a struggle to get to the end of the block in her home in Yonkers, New York, Clark, a psychologist, tried to keep meeting with her running group. Even if she couldn’t run, she could walk and see friendly faces.
“I kept as active as I could,” she says. “I felt it also really helped me psychologically—it was an incredibly supportive community.”
And the best was yet to come in her running. She’s done more than 30 marathons since her diagnosis and ran her PR of 3:37 at the Steamtown Marathon in 2012. She has run four of the six World Marathon Majors—Boston, New York City, Tokyo, and Berlin—leaving her London and Chicago to complete.
But more important, Clark, now 62, became a crusader for women going through cancer treatment, especially in underserved communities like the Bronx. She connected with SHARE, a national nonprofit for women with breast or ovarian cancer, and to this day, she runs two Bronx-based support groups for the organization, and volunteers answering calls to a helpline. She did similar work for Gilda’s Club Westchester, DAA Industry Opt Out Give A Gift as a patient navigator and coordinator at two hospitals, connecting patients with resources in their communities, such as transportation, free wigs, and support programming.
What’s more, Clark joined the board of directors of Aktiv Against Cancer, an organization founded by legendary marathoner Grete Waitz of Norway. The group, which operates in Norway, the U.S., and Ethiopia, aims to make physical activity become an integral part of cancer treatment.
Clark, who had met Waitz at a New York City Marathon expo, was moved by her story and the work she had done. “In Norway, it was amazing,” Clark says. “She had set up all these fitness centers in cancer treatment centers, because she believed very strongly that staying fit and active would help people during their treatment.”
Another source of pride for Clark? The vibrant Van Cortlandt Track Club. Clark took on the president’s job in 2007, when she wasn’t sure she was going to be alive in another six months. Membership of the club at that point was about 100 people. It’s now more than 400. Says Clark of that volunteer position: “I think it’s probably the best thing I ever chose to do.”
In 2015, Clark turned the leadership over to new people, although she still has the title of ambassador. “It’s a very vibrant group, and I think the reason I love it so much is it represents all the good things about New York City, the Bronx, and running communities,” she says. “It’s incredibly diverse, in terms of culture, ethnicity, walks of life, ages, running experience and level.”
The club has runners who have been at the sport since high school and are very competitive, new runners who want to get in shape, and walkers. Members of VCTC volunteer at races all over the tristate area, increasing the group’s visibility. And fees remain at $25 per year, ensuring cost is no barrier to access.
Her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, her work in the cancer community, and watching the Van Cortlandt Track Club grow have changed the way Clark views her own racing. She often selects races that benefit a charity or nonprofit. She's one of New York’s best runners in her age group, but it’s not just about fast times anymore. “I’m pretty competitive. I love putting a number on and working hard,” Clark says. “But I now gravitate toward races that are for some other purpose as well.”
Her philosophy and running help her cope with the uncertainty that follows treatment for breast cancer. It used to be that if patients didn’t have a recurrence within five years, they were considered cured. That’s not the case anymore, as the disease can reappear 10–20 years later.
“For me, this means trying to live each day to the fullest and not sweat the small stuff,” Clark says. “And be grateful each time I cross a finish line.”
