LaDawn Jefferson has always said she hates running, but the Brooklyn woman tried it anyway after watching another runner easily glide across the pavement.

“To me, it just looked so peaceful, the way she was gliding, the way her ponytail was moving, and I thought, ‘One day, I’m going to run,’” Jefferson said.

Jefferson stuck to her word, running her first marathon in 2018.

She finished with a time of five hours, 55 minutes and five seconds. The experience hooked her, and she went on to complete two more marathons before she had to unlace her shoes.

In September 2021, Jefferson was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She completed chemotherapy only to learn that her cancer had advanced to Stage 4 after spreading to her spine. She continued to fight, despite the grim diagnosis.

Doctors finally gave her good news later that year when they found no signs of cancer.

She celebrated her recovery by running a half-marathon with New York Road Runners.

“I was so happy I went back to Memorial Sloan Kettering with my medal and took a picture with my oncologist and nurses,” she said.

Jefferson is lacing up her running shoes again this year to compete in the New York City Marathon.

When asked what it would mean to cross the finish line, she responded, “A champ. Nothing but a champion.”