2023 DONNA Marathon Weekend Champions Announced

The DONNA Foundation celebrated the 16th running of DONNA Marathon Weekend, including a sold-out marathon event

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –– February 7, 2023 –– The 16th DONNA Marathon Weekend concluded Sunday with more than 5,000 runners participating in person at events across the First Coast. Athletes from all 50 states and ten countries laced up for multiple competitive race events, Feb. 3-5.

In celebration of The DONNA Foundation’s 20th anniversary year, participants choosing to fundraise generated approximately $250,000 so far this year in support of the critical programs of the Foundation. In addition to traditional fundraising efforts, five-time DONNA Marathon women’s champion Meaghan Murray-Neuberger participated in this year’s event as the day’s “Charity Chaser.” Starting as the last participant on Marathon Sunday, Murray-Neuberger set out to pass as many athletes as possible, raising $1 each time. By sprinting past 2,760 participants, she raised $2,760 in partnership with PUMA.

This year’s marathon Sunday, which took runners through a redesigned double-loop course across the Jacksonville Beaches, saw all new overall champions for its 16th running, including:

  • Men’s Ultra 110 Marathon Winner is Daniel Ott of Jacksonville, 22:48:59
  • Women’s Ultra 110 Marathon Winner is Dawn Lisenby of Flagler Beach, 25:49:16
  • Survivor Ultra 110 Marathon Winner is Nancy Neff of St. Augustine, 26:27:42
  • Men’s Marathon Winner is Travis Lucas of Tampa, 2:40:18
  • Women’s Marathon Winner is Caroline Moore of Jacksonville, 3:10:37
  • Men’s Half Marathon Winner is Derek Mauro of Jackson Heights, NY, 1:16:57
  • Women’s Half Marathon Winner is Lainie Smith of Ponte Vedra, 1:19:48
  • Survivor Marathon Winner is Yami Hu of Grayslake, IL, 3:42:58
  • Survivor Half Marathon Winner is Catherine Martin of Gainesville, FL, 1:41:28
  • Adaptive Athlete Marathon Winner is Scott Brown of Jacksonville, 2:11:53
  • Adaptive Athlete Half Marathon Winner is Mattie Gillium of Jacksonville, 2:05:03

 

DONNA Marathon Weekend’s Sunday races, including the half marathon and sold out marathon events, extended through several First Coast communities, including Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach. The start and finish line of both signature race events on Sunday was sponsored by Gilead Oncology.

“DONNA Marathon Weekend is truly one-of-a-kind,” said Amanda Napolitano, Executive Director of The DONNA Foundation. “As we celebrated the milestone of 20 years of survivorship, impact and love over fear through The DONNA Foundation, and 16 years  of our iconic races, we were able to reflect on where we are and how far we’ve come. We have celebrated with so many runners, walkers, survivors and spectators this weekend, and we know that while there will be more miles ahead, the destination is the same –– the end of breast cancer.”

2023 FIS DONNA 5K participants, presented by Equitable Advisors, started and finished their race inside TIAA Bank Field as part of a partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, Feb. 4. Winners are as follows:

  • Men’s 5K Winner is Andrew Marello of Jacksonville,16:47
  • Women’s 5K Winner is Mary Pace-Balzan of St. Augustine, 19:49
  • Overall 5K Survivor Winner is Rene Springsteadah of Egg Harbor Township, NJ, 21:30

 

The winners for the 2023 Masters Divisions and Booby Trap Challenge are as follows:

 

  • Masters Men’s Marathon Winner is Harlen Jones of Estell Manor, NJ, 3:10:28
  • Masters Women’s Marathon Winner is Beth Boyer of Jacksonville Beach, 3:27:37
  • Masters Men’s Half Marathon Winner is Armand Riehl of Neptune Beach, 1:21:37
  • Masters Women’s Half Marathon Winner is Julie Stackhouse of Jacksonville, 1:33:38
  • Booby Trap Challenge Men’s Marathon Winner is Harlen Jones of Estell Manor, NJ, 3:29:35.6
  • Booby Trap Challenge Women’s Marathon Winner is Hallie Hunt of Jacksonville, 4:19:02.7
  • Booby Trap Challenge Men’s Half Marathon Winner is Kevin Furrow of Kingsland, GA, 2:01:26.5
  • Booby Trap Challenge Women’s Half Marathon Winner is Cassie Chambers of Neptune Beach, FL, 1:58:59.6

 

“As our races celebrate a 16-year history, and the Foundation its 20th anniversary milestone, I am humbled and so grateful to be here to do the work to finish breast cancer,” said Donna Deegan, Founder of The DONNA Foundation. “I have often said, there is nothing like a finish line. But there is truly nothing like a finish line for a cause greater than ourselves and it feels like this whole community runs with us.”

 

In addition to the weekend’s races, nearly 200 area residents logged miles over the course of four months as part of The DONNA Foundation’s 110-Mile-A-Day Challenge. The challenge encouraged families and individuals to collectively walk over 20,000 miles while focusing on living a healthy, fearless and sustainable life. Miles were logged from October 1, 2022 to February 4, 2023. The effort closed with 20,118 miles tracked, surpassing the organization’s 20th anniversary goal of 20,000 miles.

The 17th Annual DONNA Marathon Weekend is set for February 2-4, 2024.

 

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The DONNA Foundation was established in June of 2003, celebrating its 20th anniversary year, by three-time breast cancer survivor and award-winning journalist Donna Deegan to meet the critical financial needs of the underserved living with breast cancer. Our mission is to provide financial assistance and support to individuals living with breast cancer and fund groundbreaking breast cancer research. Over the last two decades, the DONNA Foundation has served more than 17,000 families, securing more than $4.9 million in financial services and debt relief. The organization has also disbursed $3.3 million in support of translational genomics and immune studies and research. The organization also operates in-person and virtual events and programs for survivorship, education and awareness. For more information, visit www.TheDONNAFoundation.org.