‘Cancer is like running a marathon’: Pittsburgh man runs half-marathon, honors late mother
‘Cancer in general is like running a marathon:’ Pittsburgh man running half-marathon in honor of late mother
Updated: 7:00 PM EDT May 1, 2026
On Sunday morning, Dr. Paul Ohodnicki will be running the half-marathon of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon in honor of his mother, who recently died from complications of lung cancer. Ohodnicki, the director of the Center for Energy at the University of Pittsburgh, remembered his mother, Marie, by saying, “She was a mother. That was her identity. She worked at Woodland Hills School District. She was a mother to kids there. She was a mother to kids in her home.”Ohodnicki is raising money for the American Cancer Society with his run.“One of the things that the doctor told us when she was sort of in the final stages and the family had to make some hard decisions about her care and end-of-life care, was that lung cancer in particular, but cancer in general, is like running a marathon in that you’re always fighting and always fighting,” he said. As Ohodnicki began his training, he took a very modern approach to getting started.“I basically went on to ChatGPT and said, ‘Here’s my time. I do 5Ks. I’m in good shape. How do I train for a half-marathon?’ And it gave me a great routine.”And he said throughout the half-marathon, he’ll remember that he’s running for a reason.“It’s a great experience for me, and it’s something new. It’s encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and do something that’s healthy, giving back to a cause that is critically important for many across the country and the world,” he said.
PITTSBURGH —
On Sunday morning, Dr. Paul Ohodnicki will be running the half-marathon of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon in honor of his mother, who recently died from complications of lung cancer.
Ohodnicki, the director of the Center for Energy at the University of Pittsburgh, remembered his mother, Marie, by saying, “She was a mother. That was her identity. She worked at Woodland Hills School District. She was a mother to kids there. She was a mother to kids in her home.”
Ohodnicki is raising money for the American Cancer Society with his run.
“One of the things that the doctor told us when she was sort of in the final stages and the family had to make some hard decisions about her care and end-of-life care, was that lung cancer in particular, but cancer in general, is like running a marathon in that you’re always fighting and always fighting,” he said.
As Ohodnicki began his training, he took a very modern approach to getting started.
“I basically went on to ChatGPT and said, ‘Here’s my time. I do 5Ks. I’m in good shape. How do I train for a half-marathon?’ And it gave me a great routine.”
And he said throughout the half-marathon, he’ll remember that he’s running for a reason.
“It’s a great experience for me, and it’s something new. It’s encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and do something that’s healthy, giving back to a cause that is critically important for many across the country and the world,” he said.