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Judy's Story

Judy Pickett, a middle school teacher from the Sacramento area, is literally running for her life. She is also running for the lives of survivors and victims of the leading cause of death among women ages 40 to 59 years - breast cancer.

In February of 1997, at the age of 33 and eight months after giving birth to her third child, Judy Pickett was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. Her treatment included a mastectomy, eight months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation. Part of her mental rehabilitation included running, an outlet that spurred a truly inspirational crusade.

In May of 1998, five months after completing chemotherapy, Pickett ran in her first Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Sacramento. Although it was her first race in over two years, she finished in a respectable time and her mission was born. Shortly after, Pickett vowed to run in 100 different races benefiting breast cancer awareness and research throughout the United States.

In June of 1999, she had her first recurrence and another surgery. Two months after surgery, she ran ten races in ten weeks winning the survivor division eight times. In August of 2001, Judy had a second recurrence and was treated with surgery and an additional four months of chemotherapy. While undergoing treatment she ran three races and carried the Olympic Torch for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

In May 2004, Judy completed her 100^th race and has now set a new goal to run in all 50 states and take her mission internationally. With 127 races under her belt, Judy Pickett has run with over 2 million participants, including 115,000 survivors; in 40 states.

In addition, Pickett and her husband, Tod, started the Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Fund to provide hope and education for uninsured and underinsured women in the greater Sacramento area. The Fund has awarded $31,500 in scholarships to high school seniors who have had their lives touched by cancer.

Judy was named one of eight running “Heroes” by Runner’s World magazine for 2004. She was selected as the 2003 Suzy Award winner by the Komen Foundation for her commitment to the breast cancer cause as well as the sport of running. Judy was the 2002 recipient of the Outstanding Young Californian award for her community service work. Judy has been featured in Runner’s World, Self, Redbook, Coping, MAMM, Cure, and Sports Illustrated for Women magazines. She is in a national Ford TV commercial for Race For The Cure and RE/Max Realty.

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