On November 1st I will be running 26.2 for the second time around; however, this race carries a bit more meaning for me than the last.

February of this past year was filled with a heavy loss for many of my childhood friends - we lost the girl with the biggest smile and heart, the "happy" friend, the girl who touched everyone that she met, Darcy Elizabeth Nientimp.

To give you a little insight into who Darcy was, she attended Durfee High School where we ran cross country and track together.  Every single time our group would go out for a run, she was the leader of the pack pushing everyone to finish, all with that radiating smile we will all never forget donned on her face.  She was a stellar athlete, always there to give you an extra push when you needed it, and truly a teammate anyone would be lucky to have.  After graduating high school, Darcy went on to obtain her Bachelor's degree in English at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, followed by graduating Magna Cum Laude from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy School.  Darcy used her education and passion to help others to pursue her career as an ICU nurse at Saint Anne's Hospital.  As you can tell, and many can attest to, lending a helping hand was a recurring theme throughout Darcy's life.

In August of 2014 Darcy quickly shifted from being a caretaker, to needing a caretaker, when she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  While she was undergoing her first round of treatment in October 2014, I reached out to her to let her know I was running the Chicago marathon and would be placing her initials on my arm for motivation throughout the race - It came as no surprise to me that even in her time of need, Darcy was the one pushing me along, lending me words of encouragement and telling me how proud she was of me - just another testament to who she was.  We joked about how the second she was done with treatment we were going to whip each other into shape and sign up for another marathon together.

Unfortunately, 4 months after the marathon and 6 months after her diagnonsis we lost Darcy to cancer at the age of 26.  I have decided to run the 2015 NYC Marathon in Darcy's honor, and all fundraising proceeds will go directly to the Darcy Nientimp Nursing Scholarship.  The scholarship funds will be awarded to a Saint Anne's Hospital Employee or employee family member pursuing a Bachelor in Science in Nursing Degree from an accredited program.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your donations, you are all assisting in keeping Darcy's legacy alive.

Darcy my girl, this one is for you.  I have no doubt in my mind that you will be by my side every single mile.  

xo Eliza