Uzo Aduba is getting ready to push herself for a great cause this year when she runs the Boston Marathon!
Competing in the world-famous road race holds a special meaning for the “Orange Is the New Black” star, who won an Emmy for her performance as Crazy Eyes. As a Massachusetts native, it hit her hard when an explosion went off near the finish line of the 2013 Boston marathon.
Having grown up in the area, Uzo felt compelled to strap on her numbers and run in her old stomping grounds.
“It feels like the right thing to do,” Uzo told People magazine. “It still feels pretty raw, and with [the trial] it almost feels like a Band-Aid getting pulled back again. That’s where I grew up, where I learned what a marathon even was…to be a part of it, it feels particularly special.”
What makes this year’s race even more special for Uzo is that she’s running on behalf of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She’s taking this marathon as an opportunity to do something about the disease by raising awareness about cancer research.
“I just felt like too many good lives are leaving this Earth over something I want to see change with cancer research,” she explained. “When Dana-Farber invited me to be part of their team, it felt like a no-brainer. I just wanted to do something other than cry.”
Uzo’s no rookie to the marathon game, either! She’s an experienced runner, who took part in the Mew York City Marathon back in 2013. If she didn’t learn anything else from the experience, she took away one important lesson.
“Just keep going,” Uzo said. “That ended up becoming a motto for my life as well, because if you just keep going eventually you’re going to hit the finish line
Uzo Aduba Prepares To Run The Boston Marathon was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
