Carolyn Petschler Isn’t Letting a Cancer Scare Stop Her From Running the NYC Marathon

After a recent breast cancer scare, the Navy vet and marathoner is running not just for herself, but also for cancer patients, cancer survivors and veterans.

Sometimes when it rains, it pours. Carolyn Petschler is all too familiar with that cliché. During a particularly rough time, while struggling with Crohn’s disease and a recent foot injury, Petschler made a precautionary trip to the doctor to get herself examined after a colleague was diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer.

“It was a really big wake-up call,” Petschler says of her colleague’s diagnosis. “So I went in and decided to get a mammogram. I hadn’t had one for 10 years, but I felt the lump, and [it] turned out that it was a cyst. But what I didn't know is that [the doctors] would find two other lumps, one in each breast. I then went in for a biopsy, and it turns out it's radial scar tissue and [the doctors] called it ‘other areas of concern.’ So now I'm being monitored for the next two years and I'll get mammograms every six months or so.”

Courtesy of Carolyn Petschler

As Petschler continued to be monitored, she began to look into her family history. Petschler soon learned her grandmother had breast cancer in her late 40s, close to the age that she is now. This triggered a conversation with Petschler’s family, including her two kids—Jack, 16, and Mary, 13.

“You automatically think the worst, and then you get the biopsy and you are waiting for the results,” Petschler says. “Then you get the results and it’s not the, ‘Hey, you're all clear.’ I think the one interesting thing I learned in the process is it's not ‘you have it’ or ‘you don't.’ It's an ongoing process where a lot of people will have to be monitored. Every woman is different and has their own family history.”

While dealing with a cancer scare, a Crohn’s flare-up and supporting her colleague, Petschler still found the strength to compete in the New York City Marathon this November, which just so happens to be the race’s 50th anniversary.

But Petschler’s journey to the finish line started long before she began running.

As a U.S. Navy veteran with five years of service and who’s also been a military wife of 13 years, Petschler was no stranger to challenging work. However, when the time came to start a new career path, the transition wasn’t as easy as she imagined. Although she held a degree in public relations, Petschler had no intentions of ever using it. That was, until 13 years later.

Between her degree and volunteer work in the military space, Petschler found a position at a prominent PR agency in New York where she worked for six years as the senior vice president in the public affairs department. Because of her military background, and because she was the only veteran of about 200 people at the firm, Petschler worked on anything military-related.

“It was an intense job and I was looking for a change,” Petschler says. “I know the military space really well.”

As her career continued to grow, Petschler wanted to have something outside of work that was just hers. So five years ago, she turned to running as a way to help de-stress between her work life and her family life. But, what started as a “me time” hobby quickly turned into a passion.

Petschler started off small, taking casual runs through Central Park and even running 5k races when she had the opportunity. This eventually led Petschler to join the Dashing Whippets, a New York–based running team, which helped her to improve as a runner and challenge herself in her training.

“This was something that was for me,” Petschler says. “It wasn’t about my kids. It wasn't about work. It was personal. It's really a competition with yourself, and that's why I like it. I usually hate that first couple of miles; even now I hate it until I get into the runner’s high.”

Courtesy of Carolyn Petschler

A few years later, Petschler ended up at the Navy SEAL Foundation in the development department, but her passion for running never stopped. Her determination to continue to train and run the New York City Marathon stems not only from Petschler’s breast-cancer scare, but also the courage she saw in her colleague’s fight to survive. It was an eye-opening experience for Petschler.

As the marathon nears, Petschler understands that her training journey has been unusual. But regardless of numerous health issues, she is determined to run. After recently watching her teammates compete in the Boston Marathon, Petschler found the extra motivation she needed to continue pushing hard in her training, and whether that means walking or running the marathon, she’s focused on enjoying the moment.

Petschler will compete on the Navy SEAL Foundation marathon team, but she is running for more than just herself and the SEAL community—she is running on to support those who have cancer as well as cancer survivors—and crossing the finish line is going to mean more to her now than if she hadn’t persevered through the hard times she faced this year.

“I already know the marathon is going to be incredibly hard and this is definitely going to be a massive challenge to cross for me, even walking half of it,” Petschler says. “But I just want to do it. It's been on my bucket list for at least five years. So I'm excited, short of crawling [to the finish line], if I have to walk in, I will make it happen.”

Emilee White is the editorial and marketing manager at GoodSport, a media company dedicated to raising the visibility of women and girls in sports.

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