When this sister duo lined up at the starting line of the 2026 NYC Half Marathon, they ran through the streets of Manhattan with more than just 13.1 miles ahead of them. They carried memories of two men who helped shape their lives, Uncle Peter and Uncle Bert, both of whom passed away from pancreatic cancer.
The sisters, who grew up in Massachusetts and now live nearly 2,000 miles apart (Krystina in Connecticut and Stephanie in Montana), have always shared a close bond. Running under the name Hope Hustlers, they took on the race not as lifelong runners, but as nieces who refuse to let loss end in silence.
For them, the NYC Half was about honoring who their uncles were, confronting what pancreatic cancer took from their family, and turning loss into motion together with Project Purple.
You can be part of their journey by supporting the Hope Hustlers fundraising page and helping fund critical pancreatic cancer research.
The Men Behind the Memories
Although Uncle Peter and Uncle Bert were close in age, their lives and pancreatic cancer journeys unfolded very differently.
Peter was the first to be diagnosed. His symptoms began subtly: persistent stomach pain, repeated doctor visits, and a frustrating search for answers. It took time for doctors to uncover the truth, and by the time they did, the cancer had already spread to his lungs. After a 16-month battle, Peter passed in November of 2023.
Despite undergoing some of the most aggressive chemotherapy available, Peter remained remarkably active. Being an athlete, he still walked nearly nine miles a day, stayed socially engaged, and continued to show up fully for the people he loved.
“His body was going through so much,” Krystina remembers, “but he just took it and kept going. It took a lot to get him down. For such a huge part of it, he didn’t even look like he was struggling.”
Peter was endlessly energetic and deeply present in the lives of those around him, described as an “energizer bunny” by Stephanie. Though he married into the family when the sisters were teenagers, his presence in their lives was unquestionable. “He loved us fiercely,” Stephanie says fondly.
Uncle Bert faced several months of unexplained health issues that doctors struggled to diagnose before being diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in the spring of 2025. He passed away that August.
Though their uncles’ experiences were far from the same, Krystina sums it up simply: “Different paths, different journeys, but unfortunately the same outcome.”
Bert was a fire chief in New Jersey and lived a life rooted in service. His dedication to helping others extended beyond his career and into his personal life, especially through his love of woodworking.
Bert would often send over bags of homemade keychains for everyone, along with other wooden creations like angels, figures, and jewelry for loved ones. “Anyone who knew him received something he made,” Krystina explains.
And, those handcrafted angels are now scattered throughout Krystina and Stephanie’s homes: “We have angels all over the place!”
Above all, though, Bert was known for his quiet strength, his thoughtfulness, and his constant attention to others. “He was such a solid guy,” Krystina describes. “Always thinking about everybody else.”
Connecting Through Cause and City
Krystina and Stephanie were always active growing up. They enjoy strength training, staying fit, and being outdoors, hence Stephanie’s move to Montana, but running was never their focus.
“I’ve honestly always hated running,” Stephanie admits with a laugh. However, this all changed after the loss of a second uncle to pancreatic cancer.
“We had two uncles pass away within two years of each other,” Krystina says. “When Bert passed this past August, we just felt helpless. It’s such an awful disease, and it is so crappy to watch your loved ones go through it.”
They wanted to do something, anything, that could make the loss feel less final and find a way to regain some sense of agency.
“This gives us a feeling like we can help,” Stephanie shares, “maybe not with the two situations with our uncles, but with other people going through it, since we know what it’s like to have to take that on.”
Krystina began researching ways to get involved in pancreatic cancer advocacy. Through that search, she discovered Project Purple through a quick Google search and learned about the NYC Half Marathon. Both immediately stood out.
“After doing the research on Project Purple and seeing their involvement in the NYC Half Marathon, it all kind of made sense,” Krystina explains. “Our uncles both had such strong connections to New York City.”
Their uncle Peter had lived in the city for countless years, living right outside of Central Park. The sisters would constantly visit him there, and even bring friends to stay at his apartment. “To me, New York City is my uncle Peter,” Krystina says.
Uncle Bert, meanwhile, spent significant time in Manhattan following September 11th, working as a fire chief at Ground Zero during the clean-up.
“So when I saw this race on Project Purple’s website,” Krystina recalls, “I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is it! We have to get involved in this. How cool would it be to run a half marathon through Manhattan in honor of these two uncles who loved the city and were connected to the city in different ways.’”
And when she told Stephanie about the idea, there was no hesitation. “She jumped right in to do it with me,” Krystina says. “We’re always finding ways to stay connected, and this felt like something meaningful we could do together.”
Stephanie adds, “It gave us the opportunity to do something together. It’s so much easier to do it with somebody than alone, and for a much bigger cause too.”
Sweat, Sisterhood, and Strength
Training for the NYC Half pushed both sisters beyond what they thought they were capable of. “For me, even the thought of running one mile felt impossible,” Stephanie says. “And now, when my training app would say ‘easy run 3.5 miles,’ I would be like, ‘Okay… I can do that!’”
And as a stay-at-home mom of two, running became time just for herself. “It’s a nice break,” she says. “It was nice to have that time scheduled so that I could just escape and run for a little bit. I would listen to music, a podcast, or an audiobook, so it would be nice me-time.”
For Stephanie, it was a daily surprise: she had never been a runner, and now she is. That sense of empowerment is something Krystina felt too.
“It’s really challenging for me, so it was nice to feel the accomplishment of finishing a run,” she shares. “And every time we ran, we would have such a high at the end of it. I would think to myself, ‘Oh my god, I did that!’”
Though they trained separately, they followed the same training plan using running apps and sharing progress through Strava. “Even though we did not train together, we would be able to cheer each other on,” Stephanie says. “We may not have run the same days, but we would run the same three runs every week.”
Additionally, they always made sure to text each other when they were about to go on a run or were done running. This kept the two of them in check, but also motivated them. “I just wanted to be able to keep up with my sister,” Stephanie jokes.
Krystina found much inspiration in watching Stephanie tackle something she once avoided. “She literally has always hated running,” Krystina notes, “so hearing her say she ran five miles… It was awesome to hear, but also really motivating for me.”
On the flipside, Stephanie was extremely inspired by her sister’s drive to consistently train while juggling an extremely busy work-life balance.
“Krystina is the busiest person I know. She’s a boss lady at work, and has two children and a husband who has crazy work hours,” she notes. “I don’t know how she fit in time for running, so I would think to myself, ‘If she can fit in some time for a run, I have no excuses.’”
There’s also a deeper, more personal reason that made the challenge feel possible. Their uncle Peter was extremely athletic and constantly pushed his own limits.
“Every summer, he would do a fundraiser where he would climb Mount Washington twice in a day,” Stephanie notes. “So we were like, ‘Okay, if he can do that, I guess we can run a half marathon!’”
At first, the sisters felt uneasy about fundraising, but the response was overwhelmingly supportive. They credit much of that generosity to their uncles, who were deeply loved by so many and were respected pillars of their communities.
The outpouring of donations and encouragement felt less like asking for help and more like witnessing how many people were impacted by their lives. “I think so many people have been affected, and our friends have seen how we have been affected by it,” Stephanie notes. “We’ve gotten a lot of support.”
The Finish Line as a Beginning
Race day in New York City was emotional, but celebratory. Many members of their family were in attendance in the crowd, such as Uncle Bert’s wife and daughter. Krystina adds, “It was a party at the finish line!”
Uncle Peter’s wife, Aunt Susan, was also there: a presence that made the race especially meaningful. “Being in NYC, a place that she loved and had so many memories with him in,” Krystina says, “it was beautiful and super meaningful for all of us.”
With each training run, the sisters felt their uncles’ presence guiding them along the way. “Our uncle Bert’s commitment to service carried us through the whole fundraising process,” Krystina notes. “And Peter’s energy and drive came up in my mind during every run. They are what motivated us to finish and they were there with us on race day too, helping us get to the finish line.”
For others navigating grief, Krystina offers simple advice. “Being able to channel grief into something like this is hugely helpful. Definitely make your sister, sibling aunt, uncle, cousin, or whoever run,” she laughs.
Looking forward, neither sister knows exactly what comes next, but they know this won’t be the end. They’re certain that staying involved with Project Purple is part of their future. “I’m so grateful for organizations like them who are putting in the effort to help advance the research around the disease,” Krystina says.
If you’d like to run or participate in an event of your own for Project Purple, visit our events page.
