American Olympic gold medalist Kikkan Randall, who competed in cross-country skiing in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, is running Sunday’s New York City marathon months after beating breast cancer.
Randall, 36, told Chris Wallace on “Fox News Reporting” Friday she used the strength and skills she attained through her athletic endeavors to fight back against the terrible disease.
“I was fortunate to have a five-Olympic career to prepare me for my battle with cancer,” she said. “It’s amazing how many similarities there are.”
FLASHBACK: OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST KIKKAN RANDALL REVEALS BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS
Randall said she discovered a lump that turned out to be cancerous in May 2018, months after she fellow American Jessica Diggings took gold in the women’s team sprint event in South Korea.
“[It] was just an idyllic day,” she said. “I was almost going to dismiss it because I felt so amazing.”
When doctors told her she had been diagnosed with cancer, she was in “disbelief” but immediately drew the determination that made her an Olympic champion.
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She told Wallace she has recovered well since doctors cleared her of cancer earlier this year and added that she recently dyed part of her regrown hair pink ahead of Sunday’s race through the Big Apple.
Randall is preparing to join 50,000 other runners in this year’s marathon — which begins on Staten Island, crosses the Verrazano Bridge into Brooklyn and passes through Queens and the Bronx before ending in Central Park.
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“I actually decided before I finished my skiing career that I wanted to run this marathon,” Randall said, adding she had with Active Against Cancer to promote physical activity as a way to successfully recover from cancer.
