RICHMOND, Va. — It's a springtime ritual that brings all of Central Virginia together; the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K.
"We've done it in the rain and the snow. I think we're going to be a little chilly, but the weather will be good tomorrow."
Among the tens of thousands of runners and walkers you'll see Saturday morning will be Katie Troy, a Henrico mother who as fate would it, has more reasons to take part than she ever wanted.
The cold drizzle Friday didn't dampen Troy's spirits at packet pickup for the Monument Avenue 10K. After all, many participants have an important reason to show up at the starting line.
"I started doing it to honor my mom," said Troy. "So I like honoring loved ones that have been affected by cancer, and I like the community aspect."
Troy has taken part in the 10K at least a dozen times and says the event has always been a family affair.
"I've done it with my sister for years, so it's kind of become a family tradition. And now my 17-year-old does it with us," she said.
The Henrico mother of two's older son Mason also took part.
"I think he did it three times, or walked, walked, ran with me three times," Troy said. "So when we started, it was to honor my mom, who also passed away from cancer."
Troy says there's nothing like being among the thousands of runners and walkers and sending an important message.
"Having community support and people trying to help the cause and end cancer," said Troy.
But several years ago, fate brought an especially cruel twist to Troy's commitment to finding an answer to cancer's devastating puzzle.
"He died of Burkett's lymphoma in 2022. He was 22 years old."
Troy's older son Mason Wood died after being diagnosed with cancer only a month before.
That meant his mother had little time to prepare.
"He looked at me and he said, 'Mom, I'm scared. What are we going to do?' And I said, 'We're just going to get through it together. We've done everything together, and we'll just, we'll get through it together.' And we did," said Troy.
Troy says Mason impacted many people in his short life. She referenced a speech he delivered as the head drum major while he was a senior at Highland Springs High School.
"Make the most of the time you have left because it goes by so fast. And once it's gone you can't get it back," Mason says in a YouTube clip of the speech.
But keeping Mason from being gone is why Katie Troy heads down Monument Avenue each year, raising money for Massey Cancer Center.
Extra motivation she never asked for or needed.
"It means a lot to have people come out and honor him," Troy said. "I have a team that comes out. Many people come out and honor my son and honor their loved ones, and that brings awareness to the fact that we need more funding. We need more research so we can end this, because Mason should be here with us.
"If you've ever talked to someone that lost a child, that's the big fear, that they'll be forgotten. So I try to do as much as I can to get his name everywhere. Everywhere."
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