Northern student running 4,000 miles to fight cancer

A Montana State University-Northern senior will run from Havre to Chinook Saturday, her first training run in preparation for a 4,000-mile cross-country run to raise money for young adults with cancer.

Courtney Cota, a graphic design major who will graduate in December and just finished her last season on Northern's cross country team, said Thursday that the 20-mile jaunt from Havre to Chinook will be her first training run as she prepares to take part in the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults 4K for Cancer 2018 San Francisco to New York Run.

Cota, who runs 30 to 40 miles a week, said she will be among 30 college-aged students who will take part in the 4K run. Her younger sister Carrie, a student at Rocky Mountain College, will also take part.

The fund's website says this summer's run will start June 17 at Crissy Field in San Francisco and end Aug. 4 on the Brooklyn Bridge. Landmarks along the run will include the Golden Gate Bridge, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Twin Falls and American Falls in Idaho, Rocky Mountain National Park, the Missouri River, Great Lakes and Niagara Falls.

Cota said she became acquainted with the fund when a group of runners who took part in a previous 4k run for the Fund stayed in the basement of her church while passing through her hometown of Roundup. She said that she became interested in the run after talking to runners about their mission.

"And so I thought, what a great way to combine a good cause with something I love," she said.

Cota added that she has known people who have battled some form of cancer, including her great-grandmother,

"I just know so many people who have been affected by it," she said. "It just affects everyone, so anything I can do to help other people, I am all about it."

Though she is excited about the run, Cota said, she knows there will be moments when she will feel tired, but says she will finish the race.

"It's for a good cause, so you push through," she said. "Running cross country has really given me that passion and motivation to push through and just finish."

Before she embarks on her cross country run this summer, Cota has to raise $4,500 by May 15. She said that she has already raised $1,500.

The money, she said, has so far come from free-will donations from businesses and people at Northern football games, selling popsicles during a visit to California, trick-or-treating for donations this past Halloween and hosting an art sale in Billings.

Cota will seek free-will donations at the Northern Lights and Skylights basketball games Friday, Dec. 1, and Saturday, Dec. 2, and the Lights Dec. 7 game, where she will have a table in the main entrance of the Armory Gymnasium.

People can also donate money by going to http://4kforcancer.org and click on "Donate" on the "How can I help?" dropdown menu, then clicking on "Find a runner" and clicking on "Courtney Cota."

Cota said she will start her run to Chinook Saturday at 7 a.m and people are welcome to join her.

People who want to make a donation, learn more about the run or join Cota this Saturday can call her at 406-331-0875.