On Sunday, June 18, Meghan Berking began a 4,000-mile trek across the country to raise awareness and money for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Berking, a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and sister of SUNY Potsdam Assistant Athletic Trainer Alex, started the 49-day run in San Francisco and will complete it in New York City on August 5.
 
The cause is one close to Meghan and Alex's hearts. Their father Christopher was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in May 2015. Despite battling courageously for over a year with the support of his wife Sheryl while his children were away from home for the first time, he lost his fight in June 2016. Meghan is running for her dad and all other victims, so it is fitting that the journey began on Father's Day.
 
"I want to continue to fight cancer in the memory of my Dad, and I felt that this run would be a great opportunity to do that," said Berking. "Combining my drive to fight cancer and my growing love/passion for running. I don't want anyone else to have go through the pain of their parents, grandparents, best friends or loved ones having to battle cancer. Hopefully one day, cancer won't even be an issue. I am also committed to becoming a better person and helping those in need, whether it's physically or mentally, so that we can all be happy."
 
Berking had a lot of work to do before she began the endeavor and there were some bumps along the way.
 
"I was given a five-month training program with a lot of cross training. Every month the mileage of each run would increase," Berking said. "Unfortunately, I had a few setbacks because of injury, so I couldn't run as much and get the mileage per week I wanted, but then I worked really hard on cross training."
 
She has 28 runners on her team and they are divided into two groups. Each person averages six to 16 miles per day. There are 10 rest days built into the schedule, which are used for visiting cancer patients in hospitals and giving out scholarships. The runners not only battle the terrain and distance, but also the weather, though there are limits.  
 
"When there is heavy rain or low visibility, thunder, lightning or if the heat index reaches 110, then we won't run. We'll drive all the way to the host site since it is too dangerous to run."
 
Berking and the other participants had a choice of routes, but she picked this one for several reasons.
 
"I chose the New York route because it was closer to home when we finish and I liked all of the landmarks on this route, especially Yellowstone National Park," said Berking. "I've always wanted to go there since I saw it on the Discovery Channel with my dad."
 
Berking has set a fundraising goal of $7500 for the Ulman Fund and has nearly reached it. To date, she has raised $6865 or 91 percent and should hit the mark before she's done with the run.
 
"I want to inspire people to start the fight against cancer and to give hope and love to those that are already battling it," Berking said. "You really don't understand how painful cancer is to the individual and their loved ones until it happens to you."
 
The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults was founded by the Ulman family in 1996 after their son, Doug, was diagnosed with cancer during his sophomore year at Brown University. The fund works to give young people facing cancer and their loved ones the support and care they deserve.