Dix Hills Resident to Run NYC Marathon in Memory of Her Mom

Although Dix Hills resident Bryce Kristall knows a thing or two about athletics as a former SUNY New Paltz soccer player, running a marathon isn’t exactly up her alley.

Nonetheless, Bryce has decided to tackle 26.2 miles to support a cause very close to her heart.

Bryce was just 20-years-old when her mom, Felice Kristall, lost her year-long battle with lung cancer in April 2014.

“My mom’s death took a hard hit on me,” Bryce said. “She was a wonderful mother, a sincerely loved member of the community and a person whom I aspire to emulate.”

To honor her mom and to help raise funds for lung cancer research, Bryce will pound the pavement through New York City’s five boroughs in the TCS New York City Marathon on Nov. 1.

Bryce described her mom as extremely generous and always willing to help others. Felice worked in public relations and photography as a consultant at the PR firm Zimmerman-Edelson, where she was able to promote the many successes of the Half Hollow Hills School District.

“I knew I needed to do something big to remember my mom and to carry on her incredible spirit,” Bryce said. “After doing some online research, I found the opportunity to run in the marathon on behalf of the Lung Association and reached out to them.”

Thousands of runners will begin at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island, and will tour through the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, before ending in Manhattan at the famous Central Park finish line.

“This marathon will challenge me to step out of my comfort zone,” Bryce said. “The mental and physical aspects of running a marathon will allow me to experience 1/8th of what my mom went through on a daily basis.”

The money Bryce is raising in honor of her mother will help bring the Lung Association closer to finding better treatments for lung cancer that can improve survival rates, said Jeff Seyler, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the Northeast.

To learn more about Bryce’s mission, visit her fundraising page.

Image via American Lung Association: Bryce is pictured with her mom and her brother.