Olympic champion Kikkan Randall who was diagnosed with breast cancer is set for New York City Marathon

Kikkan Randall, who was diagnosed with breast cancer soon after a gold medal in the cross-country skiing team sprint at the 2018 Olympics, will run Nov. 3 in the New York City Marathon as part of a group of people with inspirational stories, race organizers announced Monday.

Randall has been named as one of 26 runners on Team #MovedMe. Other runners in the group include Dave Fraser, who was born with cerebral palsy and will be running his 12th NYC Marathon; Sean Hennessey, a former college athlete and recovering addict; and Mama Cax, a model with a prosthetic leg.

Randall racked up medals in World Cup and World Championship competition from 2009 to 2014 and went into the 2014 Olympics as a heavy favorite in the sprint, but she struggled and lost in the quarterfinals. Four years later, after taking time off to start a family, she and Jessie Diggins teamed up to win the team sprint in Pyeongchang, only the second cross-country skiing medal the U.S. has ever won and the first for U.S. women.

She revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in July 2018 and blogged about her treatment for the next several months. Known for having pink streaks in her hair, she quickly went bald during chemotherapy and showed off her new look in an August 2018 blog post.

In the last few months, she has put more of her story on social media, and she showed that the pink is back.

On July 2, she announced that she had completed infusion treatment.

Randall will be running on behalf of AKTIV Against Cancer, which works to ensure physical activity for cancer patients. Coincidentally, the foundation was established by a nine-time NYC Marathon winner, Grete Waitz.

She is also a board member of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

posted Thursday October 17th
by Beau Dure