The DONNA Foundation celebrated its milestone 20th anniversary in 2024, surpassing 20,000 patients living with breast cancer served through The DONNA CareLine with hope, support and financial relief, and celebrating survivorship with more than 150,000 athletes across DONNA finish lines.
Over the last year, the organization took home several prestigious national and regional awards in addition to celebrating its anniversary of serving those impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis across the country. The organization’s half marathon, a signature event in the DONNA Marathon Weekend series, was ranked number four in the country for “Best Half Marathons” by USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards. Additionally, The DONNA National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer placed 20th in the “25 Flattest Marathons” by OutdoorsWIRE, and DONNA Marathon Weekend was awarded a “Best in Jax” award from Jacksonville Magazine for Best Community Run & Walk.
These awards reinforce the organization's commitment to excellence in delivering its programs and road race events.
The foundation has launched registration for the 2025 DONNA Marathon Weekend. The 18th annual running of the event series is set for Jan. 31 through Feb. 2.
This year’s theme, “Destination: Fearless,” is a celebration of love over fear and a reminder that people are stronger and braver than they ever thought. The theme represents the idea that every step people take together, every mile they complete, is a step toward embracing a life of hope –– a life that is fearless.
“Even after 20 years of progress, our passion for our mission grows stronger every year,” said Amanda Napolitano, executive director of The DONNA Foundation. “We are honored to celebrate with breast cancer patients and survivors, their families and friends and our neighbors each year. We look forward to making DONNA Marathon Weekend 2025 the best yet. Our theme of ‘Destination: Fearless’ reinforces our goal to face every day, choosing to be fearless in the face of hardship and always choosing love.”
In its last fiscal year (2023-24), The DONNA Foundation saw nearly 6,100 racers, with approximately 47% traveling from outside the Northeast Florida region to participate. These numbers reflect the powerful effect the foundation and its signature race series, DONNA Marathon Weekend, has on Jacksonville’s economy. Nearly 7,000 visitors are attributed to the 2024 races, making a total economic impact of $3.8 million in revenue to the city.
“DONNA Marathon Weekend continues to be my favorite weekend of the year, and I’m sure 2025 will be no different,” said Donna Deegan, Jacksonville mayor and founder of The DONNA Foundation. “This year’s theme, ‘Destination: Fearless’ is a testament to how far we can go when we let go of fear and believe in what’s possible. As athletes, that belief helps us to meet the demands of the distance, and more importantly, it empowers breast cancer patients and their families to fearlessly navigate a challenging diagnosis. We look forward to celebrating every runner, patient and survivor as we race to finish breast cancer this February.”
The DONNA Foundation works daily to fulfill its mission to provide hope, support and financial relief to those living with breast cancer. The foundation encourages everyone to get involved –– whether by signing up to run a race, raising funds individually or with a team, advocating for better access to care or by simply cheering on runners and survivors during the 18th Annual National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer.
Registration for 2025 DONNA Marathon Weekend events and the third annual DONNA 110 Mile-A-Day Challenge can be found at BreastCancerMarathon.com.
For more information, or to sign up for a race, go to thedonnafoundation.org.
