Having lived in Massachusetts her whole life, Bailey Grant always saw the Boston Marathon as something almost mythic: an iconic tradition that she admired from afar, never imagining she would one day be part of it. But when her dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she knew she had to take on something bigger than herself in his honor.
With the help of Project Purple, Bailey made this dream possible and geared up to run the 2026 Boston Marathon for her dad, who is still bravely battling the disease. All 26.2 miles were a tribute to his determination, resilience, and the unwavering support he has always shown her, both in the triumphs of her athletic pursuits and the quiet strength of her everyday life.
A Life Interrupted, A Run Reignited
In late August of 2025, the Grant family’s world shifted. Bailey’s dad, Bill, had been experiencing unexplained symptoms since May, including trouble eating, significant weight loss, and most alarmingly, jaundice. Bill soon went to Tufts for further evaluation and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
In September, Bailey’s brother got married, and Bill quietly kept his diagnosis to himself as he focused on making the day special for his family. After the event, Bill shared the news with Bailey and her brother. Seeing the changes in their dad and learning they were caused by pancreatic cancer hit them hard. “No one teaches you or prepares you for those words,” Bailey recalls.
For Bailey, the news was a jolt that shook more than just her sense of security: it forced her to confront how fragile life could be, even for someone as strong and vibrant as her dad. At the time, she hadn’t been running much. Growing up, Bailey had been deeply involved in athletics, even playing lacrosse at Stonehill College. But even then, she didn’t do much running, being a goalie.
But after her organized sports days ended with college graduation, Bailey found herself in a rut. “I didn’t really have a competitive outlet,” she shares, until she rediscovered running as a way to fill that gap, just as she began working in corporate partnerships for the Boston Athletic Association after college.
Working there gave her a look at the race behind the scenes, and through her job, she even got the opportunity to run the Chicago Marathon in 2023. She had run a few half marathons before, but this would be her first full. She was nervous to do it, but her coworkers at the Boston Marathon were a big driving factor, embodying a “you can do anything” mindset that she quickly adopted.
Running Chicago was an unforgettable experience. “When you’re surrounded by it all day, it’s hard not to catch the running bug,” Bailey says. “Through this, I slowly realized that I can do something, even if it sounds crazy.”
She never thought she would get into the marathon scene, but she learned to fall in love with it. “It’s a you-versus-you sport,” she adds, “which is so different from the team aspect I was used to.” But even after such a rewarding experience, the training was grueling and time-consuming, and crossing the finish line left her thinking, “Never again! I’m hanging up my sneakers; I’ll be a spectator.”
For two years after running the Chicago Marathon, Bailey kept her promise to herself that it would be a one-time experience, all until her dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2025. From that moment, she knew she had to reopen this chapter and take on the running challenge again.
For the One Always in Her Corner
For Bailey, the decision to run another organized marathon wasn’t really about returning to the race scene; it was about honoring the person who has always been in her corner. Her dad has long been one of the most supportive figures in her life: whether it was her playing lacrosse, navigating school, or taking on new challenges as an adult, he was always the one cheering her on.
Bailey recalls a particularly funny and memorable moment: “It would be the dead of winter when lacrosse season started, and I remember one game we had up in New York. My dad showed up in full ski gear—snow pants, jacket, the whole thing! Rain, snow, shine, he was there.”
His dedication was constant, and his support was especially apparent when she ran the Chicago Marathon. He stood along the course at mile 20 with a sign bearing her nickname, right at the point when she needed it most. Even as her legs ached and her mind urged her to quit, she looked up, saw her dad, and knew she had to push through those final six miles.
“I remember clear as day him yelling, ‘You gotta get that medal!’” she recalls. “His support meant everything. He really is my number one supporter, biggest fan, biggest cheerleader, and biggest role model.”
In the first couple of months after her dad’s diagnosis, Bailey was mostly grappling with the reality of pancreatic cancer. When her dad first told her, she remembers thinking, “What is that?” She had no idea how far-reaching the disease could be. And as she began to do more research, she was struck by how much more still needed to be done to combat it.
“That fueled a fire under me and made me want to raise money to support awareness and research,” Bailey explains. With Chicago already behind her, she knew she could channel the challenge of a marathon into fundraising. And if she were going to do it again, Boston was the obvious choice. “Especially being from Boston, it was always on my bucket list, but never something I thought I would actually do,” she says.
While on the marathon website looking for charities to run for, she discovered Project Purple. “I thought it was the most perfect opportunity, not only to raise awareness for an incredible cause, but to do something that ties back to my dad,” Bailey says. “One thing led to another, and everything aligned super well.”
From that point on, the decision felt clear. “The word ‘cancer’ being used in a sentence is still something I struggle with,” she shares. “But seeing him face that adversity every single day, all the doctor’s appointments and hours of chemo, it made me realize that if he can go through all of that, then I can do something that’s intimidating to me to show up for him and showcase his strength.”
Returning the support her dad has always given her was at the heart of this entire journey. “It was all about my dad and less about me,” Bailey says simply.
A Different Kind of Training
Running took on an entirely new meaning for Bailey. “The biggest thing for me is the mental reset,” she explains. “Everyone has those days where nothing is going right, and everything feels overwhelming, but being able to have that time to yourself, whether it’s 30 minutes or two hours, just to think, reset, and regroup—it’s everything.”
It also reshaped how she thinks about gratitude, especially when it comes to health. While that mindset had long been part of her life, shaped in part by her work as a fitness instructor, her dad’s diagnosis solidified it. It opened her eyes to just how fragile, and often taken for granted, physical well-being can be, and deepened her appreciation for the simple ability to move and keep going.
“How lucky are we that we get to wake up, take a breath, get out the door, move our bodies, and put on a pair of sneakers and be able to run?” she says. “I think about my dad sitting in chemo for hours. He would do anything to be outside, to be moving.”
That mindset is something she carried into every training run, whether it was a short jog or a long session in the cold. It was not always easy—her competitive nature, rooted in her athletic background, made her hard on herself when she didn’t hit her pace. But she trained her mind to focus less on perfection and more on the bigger picture.
Due to this shift in mindset, she continued to show up, even in the toughest conditions. “No one likes to run when there are three feet of snow on the ground,” she says. “But you still have miles to get under your belt, whether it’s before work or after work.” And what kept her going is the constant thought of what her dad would say if she wanted to give up: “get it done” echoed in her mind.
That phrase became a quiet mantra for her, especially during the hardest stretches of training, and, quite literally, around her wrist on a bracelet she wears every day. “I know it’s for something bigger than myself,” she adds. “And I know it was all worth it.”
And before all the training, telling her dad that she would be running the Boston Marathon in his honor was a moment neither of them will forget. She found out she had officially been accepted on Christmas Day and couldn’t wait to share the news. “He was in the kitchen making cinnamon rolls,” she recalls. “I walked in and said, ‘I have another present for you.’ And we both just started crying.”
Since that moment, his excitement only grew. He became one of her biggest advocates, telling friends, family, and even his nurses about her marathon journey. “Anyone who will listen, he would tell them his daughter was running Boston,” Bailey says, laughing. “He was just so proud, and I think he was more excited than I am!”
From Never to Boston
Bailey says she has now caught the marathon bug. “Once you start, I feel like you don’t stop,” she shares. “I’ve learned so much, not only about myself, but from hearing other people’s stories.” And in the lead-up to race day, Bailey often found herself thinking about what the moment would feel like.
Just imagining not only the race itself, but race weekend in Boston, had her excited. “This is probably one of the best weekends of the year in Boston,” she says. “The whole city comes alive, and from mile 1 to mile 26, there are so many people on the course, cheering for you whether they know you or not.”
Throughout this whole journey, fundraising has become one of the most meaningful parts. “It honestly gives me goosebumps. I never expected to hit my goal,” Bailey shares. She was especially moved by how many different corners of her life came together in support of her cause. “It really does take a village,” she adds. “And I have the best one.”
And sometimes, the impact of her story reaches even further than she could have imagined. Bailey recalls a moment that stood out to her: a girl she had gone to college with, someone she wasn’t particularly close with, donated to her page. “She had lost her dad to pancreatic cancer a few years ago,” Bailey explains. “It’s moments like that where you realize how many people this disease touches.” Since then, the two have reconnected. “I think that’s something really beautiful,” Bailey shares. “As tough as this disease is, it brings people together. It makes people stronger. There’s a positive in that.”
But more than anything, Bailey was proud that her dad was there on race day. Thinking of him is what kept her moving forward, and she carried with her the qualities she admires most in him, especially his positivity. “It sounds cliché, but the guy never stops smiling,” she says. “He’s just happy to be alive and to have the people in his corner.”
That mindset is what Bailey carried with her through every mile, and it’s one she hopes others take from her journey as well. “I know there are so many times when I focus on what I need to do better,” she says, “and I let that outweigh the good. So I knew I wanted to take his positive energy with me—his ‘don’t quit’ attitude—and keep that in my back pocket on race day.”
She carries that same mindset into her outlook on pancreatic cancer and her dad’s journey. After undergoing a Whipple procedure, Bill “is on track to getting a sense of normal back in his life,”—an outcome made possible by ongoing research and medical advancements. That same positivity grounds Bailey’s advice for other patients. “Just keep fighting, keep going,” she says. “I know my dad would say the same thing. No matter how bad your day is, there’s always someone rooting for you, even if you don’t realize it.”
And for anyone who wants to show up for a loved one like she has, her advice is simple: just start. “Push aside that self-doubt,” she says. “Stop saying ‘I can’t’ and start saying ‘yes, I can, and I’m going to.’ That’s really the first step.” That mindset ties directly into her “never say never” outlook. Running Boston was never something she imagined she would do, yet here she is, having taken on one of the most iconic marathons in the world. More than anything, she hopes her story reflects a simple but powerful message: there is immense strength in showing up for the people you care about.
To support Bailey’s run to honor her dad’s fight and to help raise awareness for pancreatic cancer, donate to her fundraising page here.
If you’d like to run or participate in an event of your own for Project Purple, visit our events page.
