TCS New York City Marathon runner to honor late grandmother who died from breast cancer

THE BRONX (WABC) -- Courtney Knights is still trying to believe what she's about to do for herself and her family.

Knights, a member of "The Bronx Burners" running club, will be participating in the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon and she's doing it with a heavy heart -- honoring her late grandmother who died from breast cancer.

Knights' grandmother, Carol, lost her battle with the disease at age 38 after being diagnosed four years earlier.

"I never thought this was something I could do," Knights said.

The 37-year-old mother of two received an invite to run on behalf of the Susan G. Komen Foundation after they heard her story.

"The nice thing about running the marathon in her honor is I'm hearing more stories about her than I have before," Knights added.

Knights says the conversation about breast cancer is something she's trying to avoid with her children, as she herself has a BCRA 2 Gene Mutation. The BCRA 2 Gene Mutation increases people's risk for breast cancer as well as ovarian cancer.

"I never want to have those conversations with them," said Knights. "I never want to sit down and say I have cancer."

Just days after the marathon, Knights will have multiple preventative surgeries which will eventually lead to a double mastectomy next year. Doctors told her the surgeries take risks of developing cancer from to nearly 85% to almost zero.

"I just want to finish," Knights acknowledged. "Feel the excitement from the crowd. And really for me, it's about showing my kids I can do it."

Knights has been training for the last 16 weeks in preparation for the marathon.

The 2024 TCS New York City Marathon takes place Sunday, November 3, drawing more than 50,000 runners and will be televised in the New York area live on WABC-TV Channel 7 beginning with pre-race coverage at 7:00 a.m.

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