Cooperstown woman to run in Boston Marathon

Jan. 23—A Cooperstown resident has been selected to run in the Boston Marathon in April.

Antonia Carter will run on the IMPACT Melanoma team. "The IMPACT Melanoma organization offered me a spot," she said. "I feel like it's meant to be."

Carter was diagnosed with melanoma in 2014 and "my oncologist encouraged me to walk," she said. "I did, and soon after began running."

Carter said she was diagnosed with Stage 3 and 4 melanoma in November 2019. She said the cancer spread to her liver and lymph nodes and is incurable. "I'll keep going on a long as I can," she said. "That may be two years or 15 years. I live in the moment. I can't dwell on it, I would be wasting my life."

Carter said running helps with her physical endurance. During weeks when she has chemotherapy, she walks instead of running and said if she doesn't walk, "I can feel it the next day. I'm more fatigued, more stiff and achy."

Carter said she started running local 5K and 10K races. However, those races "are not challenging," she said, so she started running marathons and ultra marathons.

"I ran a 100K in August last year," she said. This September, she plans to run a 100-miler. "I'm just going to try to see how far I can get," she said.

Carter was running Monday morning as she answered questions. "I just left the house and am running in eight inches of snow," she said. "It's so beautiful and relaxing and it keeps me sane."

Carter is raising money for IMPACT Melanoma, an organization she feels passionate about. "They have resources and guidance for people in stage 1 through stage 5," she said. "They do really good work connecting people to groups that help. They're great, awesome. I would not run for a charity if I didn't believe in it."

According to the IMPACT Melanoma website, "Thanks to our partnership with the Boston Athletic Association, Team IMPACT Melanoma has raised over $3 million to benefit IMPACT Melanoma's mission of prevention, education, support and advocacy in the fight against melanoma." The organization is based in Concord, Massachusetts.

Carter ran in the Chicago Marathon in October for the Ronald McDonald House, another cause she believes in. "I've worked 23 years for McDonald's," she said. "First in the Netherlands. In 2005, I moved to the U.S. and worked at the Albany and Auburn McDonald's. I now work at the Sidney McDonald's. It's much nicer and closer."

She said she liked running in the Chicago Marathon. "Everyone was so encouraging," she said. "So many people say Boston is a better experience."

To donate toward Carter's goal of $5,000, visit https://tinyurl.com/5zhsfke8.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.