Donna Marathon Raises $240K in 20-Degree Cold for Survivors

When temperatures dropped into the 20s on race day, thousands of runners in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, showed up anyway. They had 26.2 miles ahead of them and a mission that mattered more than comfort.

The 19th annual Donna Marathon brought together runners, volunteers, and families who refused to let the coldest race conditions in over a decade slow them down. The fundraising goal was $200,000, but participants shattered that target, raising more than $240,000 to support families living with breast cancer.

Shannon, a breast cancer survivor, stood at the sidelines cheering for her daughter who ran the full marathon in her honor. "It means a lot that she supports me and she's been supporting me through my whole breast cancer fight," Shannon said. "I wouldn't miss this, if she wanted to run it I would be here no matter how cold it is."

Runner Lillian said the frigid temperatures tested everyone, but the survivors kept her motivated. "We're just here to support them," she explained, noting how many breast cancer survivors were running alongside the supporters. "I think all the runners that are running this race to support them super motivating."

Amanda Napolitano, Executive Director of the Donna Foundation, remembered the last time conditions were this challenging back in 2012. "The whole course is full of hope," she said, emphasizing that providing hope, support, and financial relief for those living with breast cancer drives everything they do.

This year's theme was "destination love," reflecting the foundation's mantra of choosing love over fear. "There are a lot of things in this life that you can worry about and be fearful about, but goodness gracious, there's much, much more than we can think about that we can be grateful for, a full of love," Napolitano added.

Why This Inspires

The Donna Marathon proves that when people unite behind a cause bigger than themselves, no obstacle is too great. Runners pushed through pain and cold because they knew every step brought hope and financial relief to families facing one of life's toughest battles. Daughters honored mothers, strangers became teammates, and an entire community chose love over fear on the coldest morning many could remember.

Despite the chill that could have kept people home, the energy at the finish line remained electric.