Athlete Stories

Lisa Lapin Half Marathon Kidney Donation Awareness
BY: ALEXIA KADOTA-BROWNER

With the goal of running a race in every state to raise awareness for kidney donation, California native Lisa Lapin will be running the Chicago Half Marathon this September. 

In February of 2022, Lapin completed a kidney transplant to help her mother in need. “I really feel blessed to have been able to do that for her,” she said. “You do something big, like giving your own organ, then you just want to keep giving.” 

Lapin has been an athlete her whole life, and has completed around 30 half marathons and many 5 and 10K races in the past. Shortly after the kidney transplant last year, she got back into running and decided to dedicate her efforts to her mother. 

She began this journey with the first race in her mother’s hometown in Carlsbad, California. “She had no idea I was doing this and was so surprised,” Lapin said. “It was great to have her there with me and do something to honor her.

After that race, Lisa explained her goal to her mother with assorted gifts, including a US scratch off map to track her progress. Although she is only in the early stages with a few races toward this goal under her belt, Lapin has three more after the Chicago Half scheduled to close out her year. 

Lapin’s goal is to have her mother travel with her to every state she races in, and the duo plan to make the trip to Chicago in September. “Having my mom with me keeps me focused and inspired,” she said. Ahead of race day, she said she is excited to see the Chicago city sights as she runs.

She will be taking on the Chicago Half Marathon as part of the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois’s race team, wearing a special shirt and face tattoos to help raise awareness. “It’s amazing to feel that you’re running for something and pair up with likeminded people who also want the same thing,” she said. “It’s such a team feeling and sort of excitement that you don’t feel from running the race by yourself.”