THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: November 8, 2004)
NEW YORK — If anyone had an excuse to sit out this year's ING New York City Marathon, it was Barbara Wechsler Benerofe.
She underwent surgery to remove ovarian cancer for the second time last July. Wechsler Benerofe, a 56-year-old Purchase resident, is in the midst of her second round of chemotherapy.
But yesterday, she finished her ninth New York City Marathon in 5 hours, 49 minutes, 2 seconds. And after she visits Tavern on the Green today, she'll begin her fifth of six cycles of chemo at the NYU Clinical Cancer Center.
"It was just a fantastic day," she said after the race. "It's invigorating and just so much fun. It's just really a fun day."
Wechsler Benerofe was diagnosed in May, 2003. For the first time since she started running when she was 30, she was forced to take five months off.
"That wasn't good," she said. "I wasn't happy about it. I had never taken that much time off from running."
Despite surgery and the four cycles of chemo she's already been through, Wechsler Benerofe still wakes up every day at 5 a.m. and runs 10 miles. On Sundays, she runs more. Then most days, she heads to Manhattan to see her doctors.
"She wants to train," her son, Matt Wechsler, said. "She's busy, but it doesn't stop her. She had a goal to be ready for the marathon on Nov. 1, and she was ready for it."
After the surgery and the chemo, a 26.2-mile journey seems a bit less daunting.
"Running the marathon is a lot of hard work," she said. "I'd rather run another marathon than go through chemo.
"The challenge of the marathon is fine. The challenge of cancer — that's a different story. That one is tougher."
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