Hailey Metro never imagined herself as a runner. In fact, it was something she once actively avoided. But when her uncle Steve was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she began searching for a way to honor him that would push her beyond what she thought she was capable of.
With the help of Project Purple, that intention became action. She ran the New York City Half Marathon in memory of her uncle, a New York City firefighter whose life was defined by service and selflessness.
If you’d like to run or participate in an event of your own for Project Purple, visit our events page.
Finding Something To Run For
Hailey Metro grew up on Long Island in a household where endurance sports were part of everyday life. Her father was an Ironman athlete, and she watched him train and participate in countless races from the sidelines for years: aware of it and impressed, but never drawn to it herself.
In middle and high school, she played sports like lacrosse, field hockey, and softball, but distance running never appealed to her. “I always said I would never do anything—run a marathon, do a half marathon, anything like that,” she said. Even as she stayed active, she never saw running as part of her future.
That perspective carried into college, where she attended the University of Alabama, graduating in December 2021. While she didn’t play sports at the collegiate level, she continued working out regularly, describing fitness as a consistent part of her life. After graduation, she moved directly into a full-time advertising role in January 2022, entering a new stage of life and gradually feeling the pull to challenge herself in a new way.
It wasn’t until early 2024 that she decided to act on that feeling, choosing to run as a way to push herself and try something new. She quickly found that running became a kind of mental reset. “It just gives me the opportunity to have my brain be nowhere else—like not occupied with work or whatever else is going on in life,” she says. “It’s my time when I run and train.”
Hailey began to build running into her routine, gradually increasing her consistency before eventually deciding to take on a half marathon in Palm Beach, Florida. She ended up running it alongside her father, who was thrilled that Hailey had finally taken up running after years of encouraging her to try it.
That race became both a personal milestone and something she did simply to prove to herself that she could. It showed her something she hadn’t fully internalized before: that she could do hard things. It became a guiding mindset for her runs moving forward. “I wanted this to be my hard thing—to do it, accomplish it, and feel good about it,” Hailey shares. So after discovering that, the Palm Beach Half Marathon naturally wasn’t the end.
Hailey quickly realized that not only did she want to keep running, but she wanted to do it for something bigger than herself. Around that time, she learned that her Uncle Steve had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and an idea quickly formed that she could combine her newfound hobby of running with something meaningful in his honor.
A Life of Service, A Race of Memory
If running began as a personal challenge, it quickly became something much more rooted in loss, memory, and meaning. Hailey’s uncle, Steve, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023, after a period of subtle symptoms that gradually became more concerning. He underwent chemotherapy and treatment, but ultimately, he passed away at home on February 28, 2024.
Steve had always been a constant in Hailey’s life. Both families were deeply intertwined on Long Island, living close by and sharing memories across generations. His daughter, Paige, and Hailey were especially close, moving through school together and remaining part of each other’s daily lives. Steve was simply someone who was always there.
He was a New York City firefighter with the FDNY, later becoming a captain with Engine 214/Ladder 111 Nut House, and had been among the firefighters who responded on 9/11, an experience that was later believed to have contributed to his illness. His identity was defined by service. “It was like the job was made for him,” Hailey says. “Helping people was his favorite thing to do.”
That role wasn’t just a job to him; it reflected the way he approached life. He was the person who showed up without being asked, who stepped in when needed, and who made people feel supported through his presence alone. “He was the most selfless person,” Hailey reflects. “He wanted to do everything and anything for anyone. If you needed anything, he was the first one there, always.”
Even through illness, that part of him never really changed. He remained steady, focused on others, and grounded in the same positivity that had defined him long before his diagnosis. For Hailey, that consistency became one of the most lasting impressions of who he was, not just how he faced cancer, but how he had lived his entire life.
It was in the wake of his passing that running began to shift for her again. She started looking for a way to connect it to something larger: something that could carry his memory forward tangibly. She began searching for pancreatic cancer charities to run for and came across Project Purple, and right away, it felt like a natural fit. “I felt like it was the best of both worlds to try something new, but also raise money and be on a team for a cause that was close to me,” she explains. “It was such a meaningful charity at that point, and still is in my life.”
That realization ultimately led her to choose the New York City Half Marathon with Project Purple in 2025. The decision was not a random one. It was a race that carried deep meaning: a way of stepping into the city where Steve had spent his career as a firefighter, and honoring a life defined by service on the same streets where he had given so much of his own.
Having her family there on the sidelines made it even more powerful, especially in the moments when she wanted to stop when it felt too hard. Being able to all come together close to home to celebrate Steve’s memory and raise awareness for pancreatic cancer gave the race even greater meaning. “They were literally right at the finish line alongside Dino, Founder and CEO of Project Purple” Hailey remembers. “It was awesome and so rewarding.”
Comforted by Support
After it all, Hailey was amazed by the amount of donations she received to her fundraising page, though she wasn’t entirely surprised, as Steve had built strong communities throughout his life that would always show up for something like this in his memory.
Still, Hailey adds, “To see donations of any amount—whether it was five dollars or a hundred and fifty dollars—it all meant something. Even people I hadn’t spoken to in a long time were reaching out and donating. It was huge for me just knowing there were so many people standing behind us and supporting such a great cause.”
Throughout her training, Hailey kept Steve in mind, holding onto his character and the way he moved through the world as a source of motivation. She credits his positivity as something that continues to push her forward on difficult days.
She encourages others going through similar experiences to find their own way of channeling running into action. Not only does it feel meaningful on a personal level, but she also believes it creates something larger in honor of the people they’ve lost. “They would be proud of you for doing it,” she says. “For fundraising, for doing something in their honor, but also for helping other people too.”
This idea of helping others is another layer of her journey. Looking ahead, Hailey hopes that through stories like her uncle’s, people come to understand more about pancreatic cancer: not just its difficulty, but the urgency around early detection and continued research. She points to how long it took for answers in Steve’s case, and how painful that waiting period was, as something she wishes could be improved for future patients and families. Hailey credits Project Purple with helping move that mission forward by ensuring families have the support and resources they need.
Hailey knows that her journey won’t end here. She has embraced being a destination runner and is hoping to race in a new place soon. Until then, she keeps running with purpose, carrying Steve with her through each mile, one run at a time.
