In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon runners share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. If you’re running the marathon, you can share your #WhyImRunningBoston story here.

Name: Naitik Shah

Age: 37

From: Westborough, Massachusetts

In September 2016, my Mom was diagnosed with non-secretory multiple myeloma. After bravely undergoing 15 chemotherapy sessions over the course of 4 months, we saw gradual improvement in her health. But we still lost her on June 3, 2017, at the young age of 59. Two months later I lost my uncle to the same cancer. My best friend Kushal, who I have known since kindergarten, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme stage 4 brain cancer when he was 30. He, along with his family and 2-year-old daughter, were bravely fighting the disease for the last six and a half years. He underwent multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation sessions, but we lost him on December 7, 2019, just before his 37th birthday. Recently my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer, and after undergoing chemo and radiation is under remission.


Seeing the impact of cancer on family and friends so closely, and seeing many others including small children bravely fighting cancer when I visited hospitals and doctors, made me realize that there is only one thing that matters, and that’s a world without cancer.

So, on April 20, 2020, in the memory of my Mom and my best friend Kushal, and in honor of my aunt and many brave people like her who are battling cancer, I will be running the Boston Marathon again for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as part of Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC). The DFMC team runs and raises funds with thousands of special people in mind. From Hopkinton to Boston, we carry thoughts of these people every step of the way.

This year Cancer Research UK and the American Cancer Society also invited me to run the London Marathon on April 26 and the Chicago Marathon on October 11, so I will be running those 2 marathons as well in addition to Boston. All the institutes I will be supporting and raise funds for will fund cancer research and aid families impacted by cancer.

Running 26.2 miles is nothing compared to what my Mom, Kushal, and other brave people who are battling cancer have gone or are going through. Supporting the Barr Investigators, CRUK and their critical scientific strides will make this whole experience worthwhile. Hence, I took up this challenge. Together, we’re headed towards the ultimate finish line: a world without cancer.


Editor’s note: Entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.