In 2013, avid runner Caryn Lubetsky was competing in her first Boston Marathon, with her husband and three sons cheering her on. Then the bombs went off.
Shaken but unharmed by the attack, the Miami Shores resident knew then that her passion for running needed a bigger purpose.
Since then, her races – including more than 30 marathons, four Ironman Triathlons and 15 ultramarathons – have raised more than $250,000 to support research for the Childhood Cancer Project. Lubetsky, a civil rights lawyer and part-time professor at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, got involved with the nonprofit after a close friend’s 11-year-old son was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer.
“Less than 4 percent of research dollars go to researching childhood cancer,” says Lubetsky, 48. “We can’t be turning to families and saying, ‘There’s nothing more we can do.’ That’s not OK.”
In May, she raised more than $100,000 for the nonprofit at the Keys 100 ultramarathon, surpassing her goal of getting $1,000 per mile via corporate sponsorships and community donations.
Then, this summer, Lubetsky endured 126-degree heat to run the invitation-only Badwater 135 in Death Valley, California – considered the world’s toughest foot race. She finished in 22nd place and beat her fundraising goal again, raising more than $100,000.
When she’s not working or coaching cross country at Miami Country Day School, where her sons attend, Lubetsky plans to run marathons through the end of the year, including the New York City Marathon – for the third time – this month. She’ll run it with her quadriplegic race partner, Kerry Gruson, pushing her in a wheelchair. For races with swim segments, Gruson floats alongside Lubetsky on an attached inflatable kayak. For cycling portions, Lubetsky tows a racing wheelchair behind her. Because of their work together, Lubetsky holds a Guinness World Record for completing the most triathlons in a month while hauling another person.
“My passion is giving a voice and platform for those who wouldn’t otherwise,” says Lubetsky. “Anything in life is possible if people work together.”
She also wants to help fund legacy autopsies – pricey posthumous tests on patient tumors that are a valuable tool for developing future treatment.
“Every time I run, I make sure that it has a purpose and it’s not just about me,” she says. “It’s about me being able to give back.”
On Nov. 16, The Florida Bar is honoring Lubetsky for her philanthropic work. O