Woman diagnosed with brain cancer is running all six major marathons to raise money for research
A retired teacher from Austin, Texas, will run the Boston Marathon on Monday in hopes of raising awareness for brain cancer research.
Thirty-three-year-old Montgomery Lax was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer, called oligodendroglioma, in 2022. She is partnering with Dana-Farber to run all six major marathons, which include the New York City, Tokyo, London, Boston, Chicago, and Sydney Marathons.
"I got to meet with a doctor that's studying my type of cancer, and they've raised about like $7 million just this year with all of the runners that are doing the Boston Marathon," Lax said.
She has already run both the New York City and Chicago Marathons, alongside receiving chemotherapy and undergoing surgery. For patients like Montgomery, it is only a matter of time before the tumor returns. The life expectancy for someone with her type of cancer is 10 to 12 years, she said.
Federal funding being taken away
She says that brain cancer research is already underfunded compared to other types of cancer. She fears that the current pullback on federal funding will make it worse.
"The work that Dana-Farber is doing and raising money for charity is really important and getting to run marathons while I do that is really fun," Lax explained.
Montgomery visited the marathon finish line on Sunday, excited to finish the 26.2 miles on Monday with optimism and a smile. She is hoping to finish the race in under five hours.
Then she says she plans to have a hot bath and a hamburger to celebrate her big accomplishment.
"Marathons are hard right? But I think when you've been through cancer yourself, it's really not as hard as going through cancer, but you can do it to inspire other people and raise funds at the same time," Lax said.
Montgomery plans to run the Sydney Marathon in August.
