As she reached the 40-kilometer marker, she turned a corner and suddenly, everything stopped.

Instead of continuing with the race, she ran into a wall of people. She thought she had made a wrong turn. The ensuing pandemonium and line of police officers blocking the path told a different story.

Dozens of possibilities rushed through her head, but none were anything close to what was actually happening. In an attempt to understand the situation, she asked a fellow runner what was happening, who revealed something she would have never expected: “The race is over. There’s a bomb at the finish line.”

Turning devastation into inspiration 

Kristin Feeney, an Elon University Class of 2011 alumna, was lucky enough to escape the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings unharmed. Her reasons for participating in the marathon hit close to home.

During the summer of 2012, her family was devastated when her father was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma cancer. In the midst of her sadness, Feeney refused to stand idly and do nothing.

“With my dad being sick, I had to channel my nervous energy into something useful,” she said.

Feeney partnered with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a nationally ranked cancer research and treatment center founded in 1947. The institute is located in the center of Boston and offers a donation incentive called the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. One hundred percent of the funds raised by the challenge are directed to the institute’s Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research.

Feeney said the institute’s reputation spoke for itself as she researched the types of programs she wanted to partner with.

“I chose them because they are one of the most reputable in the country,” Feeney said.

After her application to run on the institute’s behalf was accepted, her real journey began.

Preparing for the big day 

Feeney chose to run in the Boston Marathon, a 26.2-mile distance race that is the second largest single-day sporting event in the United States. Aside from a few extracurricular activities, Feeney had no running experience, but her father’s condition inspired her to strive for what seemed impossible.

“My dad going through treatment motivated me to do something for him,” she said.

By running the marathon with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Feeney committed to raising at least $4,000 for cancer research. It was then when she learned just how much support she had behind her.

“My parents rallied the troops,” Feeney said.

After word of her plans to run in the marathon spread through her family and friends, she received an outpour of donations. And after being featured in local newspapers and blogs, she was able to raise more than $7,200.

While raising funds, Feeney began her physical training. For 16 weeks, she trained five to six times a week, running long distances to prepare herself for the marathon.

During her physical training, Feeney found inspiration in the people she met along the way.

“The people I met kept me going,” she said. “Hearing other people tell you their story is very motivating.”

Finding power in numbers 

Contributions like Feeney’s are becoming more meaningful to researchers and their work.

As the government continues to make budget cuts, organizational research and development is receiving less federal funding. A 2008 study conducted by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation showed the United States was ranked No. 22 out of 30 countries with growth in government-funded research and No. 23 in the growth of business-funded research. A 2011 document from the Congressional Research Service shows Congress refused to enact a $343 million increase in funding for research and development proposed by President Obama.

The lack of funding is making it difficult for researchers to have access to the right equipment and even more difficult for actual research to be performed, making the contributions of Feeney and others like her crucial to finding a cure.

Feeney is not the only Elon alumna to have run for charity. 2011 graduate Riley Beetner, who ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 2012 with the American Cancer Society, inspired Feeney. Fellow 2011 graduate Linda Kurtz and 2012 graduate Taylor McKee are running the Nike Half Marathon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 2011 graduate Hilary Noble is preparing for her second year of cycling in the Pan Mass Challenge on behalf of the Jimmy Fund, an organization that also partners with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Together, Elon University alumni have raised more than $20,000 toward cancer research.

Feeney’s run was cut short as two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon, killing three people and wounding more than 180. Even though she wasn’t able to finish the race, Feeney said she is still proud of her accomplishment and thankful her family and friends who came to support her were able to escape safely.

She said she is confident that, despite the difficulties she encountered, she will run again.

“The Dana-Farber team is resilient — we have learned to deal with stopping points,” she said.