When Brenda Davis' husband, Bob, got sick with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, their daughter Kim ran the Nike Women's Half Marathon in Washington, D.C., in his honor. Davis said he was very proud of her and it meant a lot to him in his final days.

He battled the cancer for seven years, then died from complications from COPD on July 10, 2013."When Bob first died, I was so wrapped up in what happened. July 10 this year was very hard. The loss was a lot harder one year after than when it happened," said his wife of 41 years.When Kim started talking about participating in the Philadelphia half marathon on Nov. 23, she couldn't imagine doing it."But she guilted me into it, saying we would do it in Bob's memory," said Davis of Effort.It wasn't an easy decision for her. Saying "yes" to the marathon marked the beginning of a new journey and chapter in her life, choosing to do so in a way that challenged and strengthened her and built up her independence, both physically and mentally.She said, "I'm 72 years old and have never done anything athletic in my life. The only types of marathons that I normally excel at are conversational ones. With those, I don't need to get up at the crack of dawn. I don't need to totally relearn how and what to eat, and I don't need to stretch parts of my body that I never realized existed."Also, my conversational marathons only require the use of what the good Lord has already blessed me with and doesn't require sneakers, sports bras, compression shorts and a thing called a Garmin sports watch, which I still don't have a clue how to use correctly."Davis is a member of her daughter's Team In Training. Kim has a team of eight participants, her husband, Marcus, and mom being two of them, who have and will participate in one of seven events in 2014, from marathons, half marathons, century rides and triathlons.The team's name is Zephyr Legacy. "Zephyr" represents swiftness and is also a type of train, which represents Bob's ultimate passion. "Legacy" represents the legacy of those the team members have lost to blood cancers and those who have survived or continue to fight.Their team goal is to raise over $20,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Bob's memory.Davis was supposed to start training May 25 but a bout of plantar fasciitis sidelined her. She has been training since June, starting with 3 miles. She trains at Lehigh Parkway, the Ironton Rail Trail and the Delaware & Lehigh Trail. She is up to 10 miles a day, working toward doing 13 miles, the length of the half-marathon."You kind of naturally fall into eating more healthy, lots of fish and chicken. I drink more water. As a result, I've lost some weight."Brenda, a retired administrative assistant, is involved in her church, Effort UMC. She sings on the choir and is a member of the prayer shawl committee.One of her favorite things to do is to baby-sit her grandchildren, Brendon, 11; Ayden, 10; Paige, 8; Benjamin, 5; and Nathan, 4.Davis says this is her first, and last, marathon. She has found the fundraising part to be "pretty hairy." She has to raise $2,500 by Oct. 31 in order to qualify for the half marathon. She would greatly appreciate any donation, "no donation is too small," she says, "and will be greatly appreciated by so very many."Donations can be made via check payable to "The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society" mailed to Davis at 1590 Starry Lane, Effort, PA 18330, or visit her fundraising page at

http://pages.teamintraining.org/epa/phil14/InMemoryOfBob."I am looking forward to that moment when my daughter, son-in-law and I cross the finish line together, holding hands raised," says Davis. She prays the efforts of many will raise enough money for research to find a cure for LLS.