In 1999, George O’Malley ran the Boston Marathon for what he called his “one and done.” He was happy he did it, but didn’t need to do it again. But then came 2000—some friends cajoled him into racing a second time. And then there was the next, and the next. In all, O’Malley has completed several “one and dones,” running 12 of them for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC).
DFMC runners including O’Malley raised $8.8 million for The Dana-Farber Campaign this year, all of which benefits the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research, advancing promising ideas at their earliest stages so they can move forward toward discovery and cure.
Since 2015, O’Malley’s marathons have been in honor of his daughter Jill, who passed away from cervical cancer just two weeks before she could watch her father run that year.
“I ran in 2015—the team pushed me, pulled me, kicked me in the butt, and I made it across the finish line,” said O’Malley. “I felt so indebted to Dana-Farber, for Jill, that I said I needed to continue to run. The medical staff is superb, the strides in research, but beyond that—two of the parking attendants came to Jill’s memorial service. I can’t say enough about Dana-Farber.”
O’Malley, whose only goal each race is to “beat the street sweepers,” has raised more than $250,000 cumulatively for Dana-Farber as of 2024—a year he claims is truly his last time.
With similar longevity, the Mullaney family—this year’s top fundraising group—has had a family member run DFMC since 2013, when family patriarch Mark Mullaney was diagnosed with cancer. The Mullaney presence during every DFMC season since then has totaled more than $1 million.
“My father had almost five really healthy years due to Dana-Farber,” said Brian Mullaney, the eldest of Mark’s three sons, who are all DFMC alumni. “We were lucky on the one hand if you’re ‘glass half-full,’ like he was. His motto was ‘Find the fun,’ and to be able to get everyone together once a year to celebrate his outlook has been a fun way to keep him going.” This year, Brian crossed the finish line with his eldest daughter, Mackenzie, a college student who found the fun while devoting her weekends to train with her family.
Veteran marathoner Zea McKenzie first began running in 2014 after her mother passed away from lung cancer. She found catharsis in taking part in charity races, and set an ambitious goal for herself—completing 83 races, in honor of her mother’s age. She cleared that goal in just a few years and prepared to hang up her running shoes.
And then her son Tyler got sick.
Diagnosed with a rare translocation renal cell carcinoma in 2016, Tyler passed away a little over five years later at the age of 28. He wanted his mom to find joy and travel for him—and she has, by continuing her charity races all over the country—including her first DFMC in 2024.
“Someone once said to me that your loved one will continue to live until the last person says their name,” said McKenzie. “The pain never goes away, but turning all that pain into a purpose really helps. And when I saw my family cheering for me at mile 25, all I felt was sheer joy. I was emotional, but it was tears of joy.”
Since 1990, runners like O’Malley, McKenzie, and the Mullaneys have raised more than $132 million to benefit the Claudia Adams Barr Program, defying cancer in honor of their loved ones.
For more stories about the impact of philanthropy at Dana-Farber, please visit DanaFarberImpact.org.