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Woman Runs NYC Marathon To Support Norwalk's Multiple Myeloma Charity

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Exactly three weeks after crossing the finish line at the Chicago Marathon, Stamford’s Megan Parker will cover the same 26.2-mile distance Sunday at the TCS New York City Marathon.

Megan Parker, right, and her sister, Elizabeth, left, stand with their mother, Joan, after a race in 2010. Joan Parker died after a bout with Multiple Myeloma later that year.

Megan Parker, right, and her sister, Elizabeth, left, stand with their mother, Joan, after a race in 2010. Joan Parker died after a bout with Multiple Myeloma later that year.

Photo Credit: Contributed
Megan Parker, who will run the TCS New York City Marathon for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, stands with (from left) her father, Jeff; mother Joan; and sister, Elizabeth, at a family event in 2010. Megan will run the NYC Marathon Sunday.

Megan Parker, who will run the TCS New York City Marathon for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, stands with (from left) her father, Jeff; mother Joan; and sister, Elizabeth, at a family event in 2010. Megan will run the NYC Marathon Sunday.

Photo Credit: Contributed

For Parker, 29, who runs to raise money for the Norwalk-based Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, there is no better way to honor her mother, Joan, who died in 2010 after a fight against Multiple Myeloma. Readers can support Parker through her online fundraising page.

“Running has been a critical part of my grieving process,’’ said Parker, who grew up in Easton. “I started running six months before my mother passed away. It got me through those early dark months after mom passed. There’s nothing more humbling than going for a run. For me, it’s a place to get away from the sadness.I think it’s also very motivating for a lot of people that I didn’t even know before. It motivates me to keep going for them.”

Parker has run three previous marathons, all for the MMRF, which was founded and is run by New Canaan's Kathy Giusti. She also ran in a Ragnar Relay last year with four other women for the charity. When she ran the New York Marathon last year, she decided shortly afterward to run it again this year.

“I decided in the post-marathon honeymoon period that it would be great to do two of them this year,’’ Parker said. “It’s going to be hard, no doubt about it. At about mile 20 in Chicago, I was thinking that I may have had better ideas in my life. But I know I can do it.”

A training plan devised by Darien’s Tom Holland, who coaches MMRF runners, helped Parker prepare a strategy for running marathons so close together. The general rule of thumb for runners is two marathons per year, and six months apart.

“From my standpoint, my marathons are about raising awareness and money for research,’’ Parker said. “I’m not going to win any awards. But maybe one of the dollars that I fundraise will be the one that finds the cure. I’m not running for the glory or the time; it’s about finishing, surviving for me.”

Parker’s mother was a longtime educator and the principal of Helen Keller Middle School in Easton. The women were close, and Megan runs each race with her mother’s name on her running singlet. A non-runner before her mother’s battle with multiple myeloma, Parker has surprised herself with her commitment to the sport.

“Running these kinds of distances is very consuming,’’ she said. “It helps to have the memories of my mother and the motivation to fundraise for these beautiful families I have met through the MMRF that are fighting MM right now. That’s what keeps me running. No other motivation would get me out there.”

Parker and Amanda Glendinning of West Redding will represent the MMRF at the opening ceremonies for the marathon on Friday, Oct. 31, two days before the race. She was also selected in May as MMRF’s Spirit of Hope award winner for her extraordinary commitment to MMRF.

On Sunday, she’ll run again in memory of her mother, hoping that somehow, she can make a difference.

“Every marathon is emotional for me,’’ Parker said. “I always run with a shirt with mom’s name on it and a ring that she gave to me. She told me when she gave it to me that if I missed her to touch it and she would be there.. I wear it every day. I’m usually crying at some point during a race. I know it’s going to be emotional.”

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