Kidney donor athlete Matt Cavanaugh is gearing up for the final marathon of the 1K12M (One Kidney, 12 Marathons) challenge, the Honolulu Marathon on December 10, 2023.
1K12M is a full-year challenge sponsored by the National Kidney Registry, in which Cavanaugh and fellow living kidney donor Hilary Baude will participate in 12 marathons throughout 2023 all across the United States. Baude’s final race of the challenge was the Philadelphia Marathon on November 19.
“Honolulu, Hawaii. I’ve never been there, and I’ve never wanted to be there more—to show Hawaiians and runners that they can donate a kidney, save a life, and go right back to running or whatever it is they love to do,” said Cavanaugh. “When I started this year’s series, I had one thought in mind for 2023: 12 marathons, all under 3 hours—that was the goal. After 11 marathons, I’m on target, all sub-3 hours, with an average of about 2 hours, 54 minutes per marathon. There’s no limit on life after kidney donation, and I can’t wait to demonstrate that at finish line #12, racing mile #314.4, at the Honolulu Marathon!”
This year, Cavanaugh and Baude have run marathons in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Hartford, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia.
Baude also participated in the Ironman Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada, and became the first living donor in history to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, which she completed on October 14.
For more information on the 1K12M challenge, visit the Donor Games website.
About Matt Cavanaugh
Matt Cavanaugh, PhD, is a retiring US military officer who serves as the President of the National Kidney Donor Organization. He twice earned the Bronze Star Medal, as well as the Combat Action Badge, for his service in Iraq. Matt donated his left kidney on September 15, 2021, to a stranger and started a donation chain.
About Hilary Baude
Hilary Baude is a kindergarten teacher who donated her kidney to a stranger in May of 2021 and is now an active member of the National Kidney Donation Organization. Hilary was an NCAA Division 1 swimmer and has run more than 20 marathons to date. She competed in her first Ironman in 2022, placing third in her age group.
About the National Kidney Registry
The National Kidney Registry (www.kidneyregistry.org) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to save and improve the lives of people facing kidney failure by increasing the quality, speed, and number of living donor transplants while protecting all living donors.
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