Guelph's Natasha Grant is about to join a rare list of athletes to complete the six biggest marathons in the world.
But when she checks the Tokyo Marathon off her list, and collects the prestigious Six Star Medal, she will be doing it with some Addy-tude.
Grant is raising money for Team Addy by racing in Tokyo on March 2.
Addy is the young Elora teen whose very public and very brave battle with cancer is the stuff of legend in this area as she raised money for cancer research during her battle and continues to raise money in her name in her memory.
The 36-year-old mother of three has known about Addison Hill’s story through a connection within the family. Her best friend’s husband just so happens to be the brother of Jessica Hill, Addy’s mom.
“While Addy was undergoing her treatment, and going through everything she was going through, I was hearing just how brave and tremendous this young girl was,” Grant said.
She was touched by Addy’s desires to make the world a better place, and fighting for other children going through cancer treatment.
Grant was at the inaugural Team Addy Family Fun Day event in Fergus in 2022.
While she passed away days later, seeing the event come to life amazed Grant.
“To me, if this remarkable young woman has made such a mark, and it’s just continued to get all these ideas of curing cancer and making the world a better place for children, all these events that she’s done and have come to pass even while she’s not physically not here, it’s just amazing,” she said.
When she found out about the London Marathon, she hammered down and wanted to run it for a purpose.
In London last year, Grant was able to run on the Children with Cancer UK team and raised nearly $3,000 for the cause, while also raising awareness about Addy’s story.
Addy’s family fully supported the move.
“I remember getting my medal once I had crossed the finish line, and I just felt the whole race just felt different,” Grant said. “I don’t know why, running it for this purpose, and thinking of Addy while I was running just, it’s hard to explain. It felt so big, so much bigger.”
This time in Tokyo, the money she raises will go directly to childhood cancer research at Dr. David Malkin’s research laboratory at SickKids Hospital.
Grant’s accomplishment on the ground is one that only about 800 Canadians have ever achieved.
She began with the Chicago Marathon in 2012, which qualified her for the Boston Marathon.
She ran Boston in 2013, the same year a pair of bombs detonated near the finish line in a terrorist attack that killed three people and injured many others.
The bombing happened while Grant was en route to the airport after finishing. Her and her husband Kyle were alerted to their flight time being bumped up. Otherwise, Grant said they would've been near where the explosions happened, as the couple would've stayed to watch the rest.
"As soon as we got to the airport, I had my Boston Marathon running jacket on and one of the security staff came up to me right away and was like 'did you hear what happened, are you okay,' and I was like 'I don't know what you're talking about,'" Grant said.
The couple was brought to an area with a TV, where it was the major news story of the day.
In 2014, she ran Boston again and she was struck by the community response, and the impact of ‘Boston Strong.’
“The people were just so kind, and the community was just so amazing,” Grant said. “It really stuck with me, my love for Boston and then just (thinking) ‘wow, each city brings its own kind of unique thing to the running community’ and I’m like ‘I want to run all of these.’”
Fast forward a few years, three kids and a number of marathons later, Grant got back on track with the major six and ran in Berlin in 2021.
She then made it four of the six with the New York City Marathon in 2023, before going to the UK in 2024.
Now comes the chance to complete the six. Grant has been preparing for Tokyo, while also balancing out her full-time job as an elementary school safety officer with Guelph police.
She typically goes on runs in the early morning, but most of it has been on a treadmill during the winter.
In the end, Grant knows the hours of training will be worth it.
While some will be running for personal bests, Grant may have one of the best causes of all motivating her to the finish.
“As much as I’m super excited to be finishing the majors, sharing any part of Addy’s story just feels like such an honour to share,” she said.
“And if we can raise awareness for children’s cancer, that’s what it’s all about.”
If you would like to donate to the Team Addy cause, you can do so at this link.
