For Maureen Green (née Brown), 35, the Runners World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network has always been magical. The Staten Island native grew up watching the elite runners break the tape on TV. When she began running in high school, she envisioned flying over the five boroughs herself someday.
In 2009, she finished her first 26.2 in New York City. Then in 2017, she had her first baby, a girl, the night before the marathon kicked off.
“We had picked a boy’s name, but we hadn’t settled on a girl’s name,” Green told Runner’s World. “Then the next morning, when Shalane Flanagan won the race, my friends started texting me, ‘You should name her Shalane!’ We considered it, but we worried that having that name would put too much pressure on her. So we went with Amelia instead.”
As a lifetime runner, Green always thought of herself as healthy and fit, and she didn’t consider that her health might one day be in jeopardy. When she first discovered a lump on her breast in August 2018, when she was 34, she figured it was nothing to worry about. She didn’t have a family history of breast cancer, she said.
“I went in to see the doctor about it, and they gave me an ultrasound and mammogram,” Green said. “There were six spots that showed up on the screening, so the doctors said they needed to analyse them. Six days later, they called me back in with bad news: I had breast cancer. I was completely shocked.”
Green didn’t take much time to dwell on the news, though. “I needed an action plan so I didn’t just sit and think about being a cancer patient,” she said. Her doctors swiftly mapped out a 14-month intensive treatment plan that included fertility treatment—chemotherapy can damage reproductive cells, so Green froze her eggs—a bilateral mastectomy, radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.
With a plan in place, Green took out her calendar and counted the months until she would be finished with treatment. Her final immunotherapy session was planned for the end of October 2019, just a few days before the NYC Marathon.
“I decided then and there that I’d sign up for the marathon,” she said. “At the time, it felt like it would be impossible to do after all the treatments and surgeries. But I figured I might as well try. I had to have a goal to get me through that year.”
During five months of chemotherapy that spanned from last winter to spring, Green said it was difficult to run, but she made a point to go out for a few miles two or three times per week. Even though she felt weak, she often brought Amelia along with her for support.
“It’s hard to run with a stroller when you’re not feeling great,” she said. “I had a few bad days, but more good days.”
She had a bilateral mastectomy in March, then started radiation treatment in May. In June, she began training for New York City, which she planned to run as part of Fred’s Team, a charity that raises money for cancer research. Unlike the other marathons she trained for in the past, for this one, she didn’t put pressure on herself to nail certain splits or hit a specific mileage goal.
“I’m typically not easy on myself when it comes to training,” she said. “But this time, I was kinder to myself. Instead of trying to run 50 miles a week and do a 23-mile long run, I ran 35 to 40 miles per week and my longest run was 18 miles.”
With the exception of long runs, Green pushed her daughter in the stroller throughout her buildup. Before she began ramping up her mileage, she asked her doctors whether they’d advise marathon training during cancer treatment.
“My oncologist couldn’t believe I could do it, but she encouraged me to run if I felt good doing it,” she said. “There are a lot of studies out there that show that working out is helpful in treatment, as long as you don’t do too much. My doctor said that I shouldn’t be surprised if running didn’t feel like it used to.”
Though she wasn’t as fast as before, the simple act of running boosted Green’s spirits.
“There were times when I was just so tired and I didn’t want to get out the door,” she said. “But I told myself, ‘You’re here, you’re running, you’re moving.’ I was happy to still be able to do it.”
About a week before the marathon on November 3, Green went in for her final treatment. Earlier this year, she received the great news that she responded positively to chemotherapy and was cancer-free. The race was a celebration of beating cancer—and a chance to enjoy the sport and the city that supported her through her lowest moments. Green finished New York City in 4:11:43, nearly an hour faster than she expected.
“It was the best race I’ve ever had,” said Green. “It was slower than my other marathons, but I wanted it to be fun. I’m normally serious in races, but this time I wrote my name on my shirt, high-fived people, and stopped and said thank you to my friends cheering.”
