Kunz said that more than half of her team’s total registration fees will benefit the Alice and Louis Borkowski Fight Against Lung Cancer Fund. She has also reached out to social media in her fundraising efforts by launching an “I Love Lungs” event page via the American Lung Association’s website. So far, Kunz has raised more than $3,000.

Lipset said he has noted Kunz’s motivation while giving her tips on training and raising money. “I think she’s already accomplished what she wanted to accomplish,” he said, “so hopefully she has enough motivation to get to the finish line.”

Since she started her training three months ago, Kunz said, she has tried running a couple of miles a few times a week with the help of some mobile phone apps from Nike. At first, she said, she struggled to run 2 miles in one training session, but she can now run 3½ miles in 40 minutes.

“It really gets you motivated and ready for [the race],” she said. “It’s been interesting — it’s like seeing a different side of myself with all of this.”

In the process, she added, she has learned the value of living life after watching how easily it can be lost. “I think [my parents] would be proud — they’d also laugh at me, in a good way, but I think they’d be very proud,” she said. “They’d definitely be there, cheering me on from the sidelines. I don’t know what they’d say, but they’d definitely be supportive of it.”

Click here to make a contribution to the Alice and Louis Borkowski Fight Against Lung Cancer Fund.