History

2016

• To date, The DONNA Foundation has raised more than $4 million towards its vision to finish breast cancer.
• DONNA Marathon Weekend has a world-wide reach; runners came in droves from all 50 states and more than 20 countries, all united in the goal to finish breast cancer.
• Singer, Songwriter and breast cancer Survivor Melissa Ethridge plays in Jacksonville and welcomes and supports all to the 9th Annual Marathon Weekend.

2015

• Michelle Morin, breast cancer survivor, shares her story during the annual DONNA Top Fundraiser Dinner held on the campus of Mayo Clinic Florida. She thanks The DONNA Foundation for helping with her critical financial needs while undergoing breast cancer treatment.
• #Closertoacure – Mayo Clinic announces trials coming soon for breast cancer vaccine, due solely to the genomics research funding provided by The DONNA Foundation. Dr. Edith Perez of Mayo Clinic credits the marathon as “…instrumental to all of this work we have done over the years. Because we didn’t have a genomics program here at Mayo Clinic before the marathon started. So we used the funds to start the program.”
• Weaver Family Foundation contributes more than $313,000 to The DONNA Foundation through the Weaver Challenge.
• New course record – the fastest time in Florida since 2011 – is set by Elisha Barno of Kenya, shaving more than 2 minutes from the previous record.
• Jimmy Roberts features 26.2 with DONNA and Donna Deegan as the Color of Purpose as crowds Pink Out the Championship round of THE PLAYERS Sunday, May 10, 2015.

2014

• Ashley HomeStores partners with DONNA as the official sponsor of the DONNA Relay. Howard Fineman, Ashley HomeStore CEO and Managing Member says this new partnership is one more way for he and his team to give back to the community and help find a cure to end breast cancer.
• 7th Annual 26.2 with DONNA is a huge success, despite severe weather. Marathon Weekend proceeds surpass $800,000 and participants are all smiles through the rain.
• DONNA goes mobile with Race Joy offering a mobile experience for race participants and spectators. The RaceJoy App provides mobile conveniences and entertainment with key features such as instant results, timing notifications, live GPS tracking and Send-a-Cheer.

2013

• A new Start Line and course to FINISH BREAST CANCER is established by the PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP.
• Approximately 10,000 runners, including over four-dozen international runners, participated in this year’s event, clocking record-breaking times in the state of Florida.
• Thirteen elite male athletes finished the course faster than the winning time of the 2013 Miami Marathon (2:26:14), shattering state records.
• THE PLAYERS 2012 helps raise nearly $68,000 for The DONNA Foundation through THE PLAYERS 5K with DONNA, Birdies for Charity and Sunday’s Pink Out.

 2012

• A total of $3 million + Contributed and more than 5,500 cancer patients assisted thus far!!
• More than 10,000 runners—many of them “streakers”—help us Celebrate the Finish!

2011

• A big year for Mayo Clinic’s BCTG Research Team, which publishes two papers related to gene expression in breast cancer cells in peer-reviewed journals.
• Kurtis Loftus reveals the 5th Annual Poster Art and concepts for the commemorative 5-Year Anniversary medal.
• Delores and Wayne Weaver establish the $100,000 Marathon Challenge. Supporters are encouraged to ‘Give $5’ to finish it!
• Jessica Menke and her daughter harmonize the national anthem as more than 8,000 runners prepare to finish breast cancer. Gretchen Peebles of Kingsport, Tennessee is the Top Marathon Survivor for the second year in a row, with a finish of 3:43:31.

2010

• Race weekend grows with the addition of the Family Fun Run, allowing people of all ages to finish breast cancer!
• More than 8,000 participants toe the 3rd Annual starting line, now featuring a 5-leg Marathon Relay. The current Marathon Course Records are set.
• Male 2:15:44, Andrey Bryzgalov | Female 2:33:08, Buzunesh Deba.

• Mayo Clinic’s BCTG Research Team expands, broadening its research capabilities. The team’s promising findings attract an additional $4.2 million in grants.
• Kurtis Loftus reveals the 4th Annual Poster Art, which features colorful ribbon confetti!

• 26.2 with DONNA celebrates the life of Coach Danny Brown with the addition of the Danny Brown High School Challenge for high school relay teams.

2009

• The Mayo Clinic BCTG Research Team begins experiments utilizing human tumor cell lines and subsequently publishes the genomic data generated which identifies a potential new way to classify breast cancer.
• The Inaugural Bike 26.2 with DONNA and THE PLAYERS 5K with Donna are introduced, adding even more ways to finish breast cancer.
• Love reigns over fear as Kurtis Loftus reveals the 3rd Annual Poster Art, entitled “A Labor of Love.”
• The official name of 26.2 with DONNA is changed to The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer.
• Donna announces the opening of pre-sales for her second book, Through Rose Colored Glasses: A Marathon from Fear to Love.

• More than 5,000 participants race the 2nd Annual 26.2 with DONNA, raising $708,095.

2008

• 26.2 with Donna Foundation is formed.
• Kurtis Loftus reveals the 2nd Annual 26.2 with DONNA Poster Art.
• Custom Oakley 26.2 with DONNA sunglasses are introduced, providing a way for everyone to save the world through Rose Colored Glasses.
• Race-founding member, mentor, friend and walking coach John Tenbroeck (Dr. John) dies. In his honor, race walkers are forever known by the name he gave them the “Lovers”—because they love being there most/the longest.
• The Breast Cancer Translational Genomics Research Team is approved by Mayo Clinic’s scientific review committees. The team leverages funds received for supplies and program personnel.
• Donna presents checks to Mayo Clinic Jacksonville and The Donna Foundation in the amounts of $525,566.78 and $306,477.21, respectively.
• Shorelines reports, “Marathon impressive in Turnout. Support 26.2 with DONNA is Resounding Success.”
• Donna finishes marathon post-surgery, during chemo and “doped up on joy.”
• The Inaugural 26.2 with DONNA The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer, featuring 6,936 participants from 15 countries supported by 2,000 volunteers.
• Official opening of the Inaugural Marathon Weekend at the Health & Fitness Expo
• Donna and the Jacksonville Galloway Training Team celebrate a 26-mile training run.
• Spring 2007

2007

• Running-Ribbon logo is created.
• Kurtis Loftus reveals the Inaugural 26.2 with DONNA Medal and poster art.
• After a third diagnosis of breast cancer, Donna continues training.
• Founders Reception event helps secure initial funding for the Inaugural 26.2 with DONNA.
• The Jacksonville Galloway Training Program kicks-off in preparation for the Inaugural 26.2 with Donna event.

 2005

• Donna celebrates her birthday by having coffee with her oncologist and running buddy Dr. Edith Perez and the two have a vision for a marathon to end breast cancer.

2004

• Jeff Galloway partners with Donna Deegan to train Jacksonville runners for a local marathon while raising about $100,000 for The Donna Foundation. The Jacksonville Galloway Training Program partnered with Donna to train runners to run the Jacksonville Bank Marathon and commit to fundraising for The Donna Foundation. Each runner raised $1000, and training fees were waived.

Founders

Donna Deegan

Founder/Event Chairman

Donna Degan is a three-time survivor of breast cancer and anchored the nightly news for Jacksonville’s First Coast News for more than 20 years. In 2003, she founded The Donna Foundation, which provides breast cancer patients in North East Florida with emotional, social and financial support. In 2007, she co-founded 26.2 with DONNA The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to produce world-class events dedicated exclusively to raise funds to end breast cancer.

Edith A. Perez, MD

Deputy Director at Large, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
Group Vice Chair, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
Serene M. and Frances C. Durling Professor of Medicine, Mayo Medical School
Mayo Clinic

Edith A. Perez, M.D., is the Deputy Director at Large for Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Florida, Group Vice Chair of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, Director of the Breast Program, and the Serene M. and Frances C. Durling Professor of Medicine at Mayo Medical School. She is a cancer specialist and an internationally known translational researcher at Mayo Clinic. Her roles extend nationally, including positions within Mayo Clinic, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Perez has developed, and is involved in, a wide range of clinical trials exploring the use of new therapeutic agents for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. She leads and has helped develop basic research studies to evaluate the role of genetic markers in the development and aggressiveness of breast cancer. She has authored more than 550 research articles in journals, books, and abstracts. Dr. Perez is invited frequently to lecture at national and international meetings. She serves on the editorial boards of multiple academic journals.

A select list of awards Dr. Perez has received includes: Breast Cancer Research Foundation Research Grant Award (1998-2013); Horizon Achievement Award in Cancer Research (2002); Mayo Clinic Outstanding Faculty Award (2002 & 2004); North Florida Hispanic of the Year Award (2003); Mayo Clinic Distinguished Educator Award (2003); Serene M. and Frances C. Durling Professorship of Medicine (2006); Honorary Doctorate of Letters, University of North Florida (2006); Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator (2007); Florida State Biomedical Research Advisory Council (BRAC) (2009-2012); Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (2009); Mayo Clinic Outstanding Course Director (2009); EVE Award for Lifetime Achievement (2011); NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award (2011); and one of the 75 Most Influential People in Jacksonville Healthcare from Jacksonville Magazine’s 904 (2012).

Jeff Galloway

US Olympian, Author, Inspirational Speaker

Jeff Galloway has dedicated his career to the belief that all of us are designed to run and walk, and his efforts have encouraged thousands of people to make exercise a positive factor in their lives.

Galloway is the author of the top-selling running books in North America, Galloway’s Book on Running and Marathon You Can Do, and a columnist for Runner’s World. He is the inventor of the Galloway RUN-WALK method, an innovative low-mileage training program that offers the possibility of completing a marathon to almost everyone. Through his company, Galloway Productions, Galloway conducts dozens of fitness seminars throughout North America, as well as fitness vacations to Greece and Lake Tahoe, and training groups in 40-50 cities annually. He also delivers inspirational talks at more than 200 running and fitness sessions each year.

Galloway’s expertise in the field is the result of his own athletic and business successes. He qualified for the 1972 Olympics in the 10,000 meters and as an alternate for the marathon. In 1973, he opened a store for runners called Phidippides, in Atlanta, and trained his sales staff to help customers select running shoes by considering the function and shape of each person’s feet. He still owns two Phidippides stores in Atlanta. Galloway also helped to organize the Peachtree Road Race and the first Avon Marathon for women. Today he organizes the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk, which enters more than 20,000 participants each year.

Kurtis W. Loftus

President/Creative Director of The Kurtis Group

Artist, Official Race Poster

Kurtis Loftus has long been recognized by his peers as one of the area’s foremost creative talents, with 30 years of experience in the Jacksonville, Florida, advertising and design industry. He is President/Creative Director of The Kurtis Group, a Jacksonville Beach agency specializing in focused and creative marketing strategies for small business.

Loftus has illustrated three books, published a surfing magazine, and developed art for numerous high-profile events, including the Annual Gator Bowl Classic, ACC Championship Game, Jacksonville Jazz Festival and PGA — America Supports You.
He has earned numerous local, state and national awards, including:

• A National Silver Addy for the Kingpins CD cover design,
• American Advertising Federation (AAF) Silver Medal, the group’s highest honor recognizing an advertising professional who has furthered industry standards, achieved creative excellence, and is actively involved in community service, and
• Regional Gold ADDY for a series of illustrations done on behalf of The Donna Foundation

Loftus is a founding member of the American Institute of Graphic Artists local chapter and serves on the Advisory Board of the Flagler College Graphics Department. He participates in bi-annual portfolio reviews for both Flagler and AIGA, and frequently judges art exhibitions, and mentors graphic design students. He is a member of the Jacksonville Marketing and Advertising Club. In 2011, Loftus set the Guiness Book of World Records record for a marathon surfing session, raising $30,000 to benefit 26.2 with DONNA.

Loftus sits on several local boards, including the Beaches division of Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, where he has been twice honored as their Small Business Leader of the Year. He and his wife of 29 years, Margaret, have two grown daughters.

Tim Deegan

Chief Meteorologist, First Coast News

Tim Deegan is the Chief Meteorologist at First Coast News, providing weather forecasts on four weekday newscasts. Tim is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology. He is a member of the American Meteorological Society and carries that group’s important seal of approval.

Deegan has three daughters and is married to former First Coast News anchor Donna Deegan. He works with many charitable organizations, including the American Lung Association, and is an avid surfer, marathoner and skygazer.

Amanda Napolitano

Executive Director

Amanda Napolitano is the Executive Director of the 26.2 with DONNA Foundation, responsible for the vision and management of all 26.2 with DONNA events. An avid runner, Napolitano is a founding member of 26.2 with DONNA, and in partnership with Chris Twiggs leads the Jacksonville Galloway Training Program. In 2008, she and Chris were awarded the “Spirit of Galloway” award from Jeff Galloway for their work.

Previously, Napolitano was an Account Director for IDEA, a specialized practice within Idea Integration focused on interactive agency services. She holds a BS in Technical Communication from Mercer University in Macon, Ga., and is a member of the Society for Technical Communication and Jacksonville AMA. Napolitano is a Committee Member of the Gator Bowl Association and an active member of The Church of Eleven22.

Special thanks to the 2008 founders of the inaugural 26.2 with DONNA The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer.

Dr. Edith Perez

Kristine Kepler

James & Patricia Cannan

Tim & Donna Deegan

Dr. Joyce Karsko

Karen Doherty

Crawford Family Foundation

Agency Approval & Development

Gracor Training Centers, Inc.

Frances Palmieri

Mr. & Mrs. Preston H. Haskell

Dr. Elizabeth DePeri

The J. Johnson Gallery

Benchmark Homes

Dr. & Mrs. S. Terkonda

Gannett Foundation

Don & Carol Pitman

Ali Korman

Howard Serkin

Marty Lanahan

John & Theresa Snyder

Eulah Ellen Bruce

PPR Travel, Dwight Cooper

Hicks Charitable Foundation

Deborah Gianoulis Heald

Pam Paul

Francis & Kathleen Kennelly

The Newton CLT III – 1997

Ann McDonald Baker

Jim Hanson

Teresa & Arthur de Balmaseda Milam

Barnwell Lane

Kenneth Kirschner

Joan Newton

Bonnie Solloway

J. Carson & Donna Blevins Eddings

John & Sherry Earle

Betty & David Berkman

Donnie & Carol Wanstall

Linda Kozick

Jax Greyhound Racing

Michael Munz

Deborah Pass

Phyllis Staines

Howard & Mary Ellen Halle

Karl’s Haberdashery of FL