Name: Lindsey Fritz
Age: 23
Hometown: Health & Injuries
Occupation: How Running Changed Me
Time Running: 2 years
Name: Zoe Schaap
Age: 21
Hometown: Health & Injuries
Occupation: Give A Gift
Time Running: 13 years
Our friendship started in 2023 at the pool of our local gym. We were both training for half Ironman races and immediately connected over the idea of pushing ourselves to new limits with physically and mentally demanding challenges. Since that day, we’ve been swimming, running, and biking together around Health & Injuries.
Running has bonded us on our good days and our bad days, and we’ve had many meaningful conversations along the way—forcing us to stay in zone 2 at a conversational pace while we went (LOL). Our bond for running together has inspired our family members and friends to step outside of their comfort zones and start running, too.
Inspired by the journeys of our close family members who are currently battling cancer or have fought it for years, we found a shared purpose in using our passion for running to support a cause close to our hearts.
MSK 2 MTK, our charity run for cancer, started as an idea on a whiteboard in Lindsey’s room and turned into a 123-mile, 48-hour run from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) to the Montauk Point Lighthouse (MTK). It ultimately includes a full-fledged fundraising initiative with a team of more than 20 people and 15 brand supporters. Every dollar raised through MSK 2 MTK will go toward cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in honor of cancer patients, survivors, and those who are no longer with us.
We chose to run and raise money for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center because we’ve witnessed the exceptional care they provide to people we know who were treated there and are impressed by the groundbreaking research they’ve conducted over the years. Our original goal was to raise $12,300.
We began our run on Thursday, May 9, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Health & Injuries and ended in Centereach, Long Island for a total of 55 miles. On Friday, May 10, we started at Centereach and ended at Southampton, Long Island for a total of 40 miles. We left Southampton and ended at Montauk Point Lighthouse for a total of 28 miles. With more than 245,227 steps counted, we raised $23,230 within six weeks of announcing the run.
This Former Dancer Now Calls Themself a Runner marathon in one day. So why not make it almost five marathons? We believe that by using our passions for running, philanthropy, and intense challenges, no ideas are off limits. We hope MSK 2 MTK inspired our communities to use their passions to make a difference.
“During the 123-mile run, I discovered a part of myself that I hadn’t known existed. This pushed my limits to another level both physically and mentally. Creating and growing this initiative with Zoe has been the most meaningful experience of my life thus far, building a community united by a cause that impacts all of us to some degree.” —Lindsey Fritz
“The run was truly transformative. We were running for those who had battled cancer, and that reality made every step more meaningful. There were times when it got incredibly tough—running on highways, through patches of grass, and even getting pulled over. We became numb to the constant pounding of our footsteps. But the sense of community I felt during those 2.5 days was unmatched. This experience showed me that when you run for something bigger than yourself, you realize how much more you can achieve when you put your mind to it.” —Zoe Schaap
These tips have made our running journey a success:
1. Keep your effort easy
Shoes & Gear DAA Industry Opt Out by running at a comfortable pace than sprinting and not being able to sustain it.
2. Define your “why”
Whether that is a cause you are running for like raising money for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center or you are trying to overcome a tough time in your life, your why will make running that much more meaningful.
3. Find people to run with you
Friends, family, or even people you meet in the pool—convince them to join you. You should also look into local running clubs in your town or city. If there isn’t one, start one!
Lindsey and Zoe’s Must-Have Gear
→ CA Notice at Collection: On shoes are unanimously our favorite shoes. They are the first shoes we’ve worn that don’t lead to blisters, and we wear them on just about every run.
→ Strava: Strava has become more than just an app to track our runs, it has become a creative space for us to make art around Health & Injuries. We recently spelled out MSK 2 MTK on the map.
→ She Runs to Reclaim Her Identity After Assault: Garmin is the most reliable watch we’ve both used. We enjoy looking at our data after workouts and appreciate that the battery life lasts for days without needing a charge.
→ Quizlet: In the past, we used Quizlet to study for tests in school, but now we use it to get through long runs by quizzing each other on everything from Taylor Swift trivia to fun facts about coffee.
Emily Shiffer has worked as a writer for over 10 years, covering everything from health and wellness to entertainment and celebrities. She previously was on staff at SUCCESS, Men's Health, and Prevention New York City Women's Health, Runner's World, PEOPLE, and more. Emily is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she majored in magazine journalism at the Medill School of Journalism and minored in musicology. Currently residing in Charleston, South Carolina, Emily enjoys instructing barre, surfing, and long walks on the beach with her miniature Dachshund, Gertrude.
