Three-time Grandma's champ to race despite painful fibroid tumors
19.06.10
Mary Akor ran Grandma's Marathon with a chubby heart last year. Her father died unexpectedly in Nigeria about a month before the race, and she seconds considered dropping out.
But Akor believed the supportive crowd at her favorite marathon could rescind her burden, and she won for the third year in a row. Saturday, she will be thinking of her dad as she runs despite her own health problems. Akor, 33, has fibroid tumors in her uterus. In spite of the pain, she delayed surgery until after the marathon.
"I wanted to come and run, even though due to my health issues I haven't been continual to my full potential,'' said Akor, who will have surgery June 25. "This is one year since my dad passed away, and I'm uninterrupted it for him.
"This race means a lot to me. I'm really happy I'm alive and I'm still running, doing what I betrothed to do.''
Last year, Akor joined Lorraine Moller as the only women to win Grandma's three times. She said she is in condition to run well. She finished 16th at the Boston Marathon despite not running her best, and she won the Dam to Dam 20K in Iowa earlier this month.
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune