A little about me...

My name is Jenn Pefanis, and I’m a 44-year-old mom of three. I've been a runner since elementary school, starting with my church and later my school. In my younger years, I qualified for the state competition in the 200m dash and always loved sprints.

In high school, my track coach encouraged me to try long-distance running. I ran my first 5K with the JV team and won! That earned me a spot on varsity, where I ran for three years as a scorer.

As I got older and had children, running became my outlet—an escape to clear my mind. About 10 years ago, with my cousin’s encouragement, I joined the NYS Parks Summer Run Series, which includes 8 races from 5K to 10K. I’ve run it every summer since, gradually increasing my distance.

When I turned 40, I promised myself I would take on a challenge to prove my physical and mental strength. I signed up for my first half marathon, stuck to my training, and finished in 2:03:22.

A few weeks later, a friend convinced me to apply for the NYC Marathon lottery. With only a 4% chance of being selected among 65,000 applicants, I was incredibly lucky to get in. After four months of training, just a week before the race, I discovered I had a stress fracture in my hip and couldn’t run. I was beyond disappointed.

Now, I’ve been pulled off the waitlist to run the London Marathon on April 27th, 2025! I’ll be running for the charity Get Kids Going and need to raise at least $2,500. I'm excited to take on this challenge but need your help to reach my fundraising goal! Any donation, big or small, will make a difference. Please read more below about the London Marathon and my sponsor.

A little about the London Marathon...

The London Marathon has become an annual, inspiring and colourful fixture in the world’s sporting calendar since the inaugural race on 29 March 1981: a celebration of fun, fundraising and fancy dress.

Over the years more than a million people have completed the 26.2-mile course – which runs from Blackheath to The Mall, with a spectacular finish in front of Buckingham Palace, showcasing the very best that the capital city has to offer.

What’s more, these participants have raised over a billion pounds for charity and there have been countless amazing tales of human achievement throughout the event’s history – living up to its aim of helping participants ‘to have fun, and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world’.

A little about the organization that I am fundraising for...

Get Kids Going! is a national charity which gives disabled children and young people, up to the age of 26 years, the wonderful opportunity of participating in sport. We provide them with specially built sports wheelchairs so they can do: athletics, marathons, tennis, skiing, curling, rugby, sailing, boccia, basketball, snowboarding, table tennis, fencing, shooting, archery, powerlifting and many more sports. Get Kids Going! inspires disabled youngsters to compete in sporting events, from start to paralympic level, by also giving them sports grants to help with their: training, physiotherapy, sports psychology, travel, competition fees and the design and development of sports’ equipment. With your help many can become world record holders and paralympic champions!