Name: Shawn Farrah
Age:46
Hometown: Marietta, OH
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Shawn's running career:
I run because it was taken away from me for over a year.
In 2017 I was running as well as I ever have, especially longer distances. I ran the News and Sentinel Half Marathon in 1:32:38, placing 2nd in my age group. I was even training for my 2nd marathon. Then I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer on December 18, 2017 at age 45. I actually snuck in one more half marathon in January 2018 after my cancer diagnosis and before treatment started. I received radiation and chemotherapy treatments 5 days a week for 5 weeks in February/March 2018 at the James Cancer Center at OSU. In April 2019 my oncologist decided I would get a break from chemotherapy as long as my CT scans, MRI's, and pet scans stayed clear and my surgeon gave me the green light to start running.
Shawn's motivation:
I've taken advantage and enjoyed every second I've been able to run. My wife, Deana Farrah, and I lead a Youth Running Club for kids from 2nd-8th grade through the Marietta YMCA, and I was finally able to run with them again. I've run a couple 5K's, a 10K, and I'm up to 9 miles training for this year's half marathon. I'm running to be an example for the kids we train, for all of my friends fighting this awful disease, but mostly just because I can.