Kidney Donor Runner Achieves Sub 3 at New York City Marathon 2023

American Matt Cavanaugh and female Hilary Baude - two kidney donor athletes - achieved sub3 and sub4 respectively at the 2023 New York City Marathon.

On the New York course on November 5, Cavanaugh ran the half-marathon in 1 hour 25 minutes 43 seconds and finished in 2 hours 56 minutes 39 seconds. He ranked 922nd out of 28,425 male runners in the 2023 New York City Marathon.

Meanwhile, Baude completed the first 21.0975 km in 1 hour 46 minutes 48 seconds and crossed the finish line in 3 hours 38 minutes 34 seconds. She ranked 1,599th out of 22,776 female runners in the race.

This is Cavanaugh and Baude's 10th marathon in 2023, as they aim to complete the 1K12M (one kidney, 12 marathons) challenge. With each race, they aim to raise awareness about kidney donation.

Baude (left) and Cavanaugh after completing one marathon in a series of 12 they plan to run this year in the 1K12M challenge.

1K12M is a year-long challenge sponsored by the National Kidney Registry (NKR), a nonprofit organization in the United States whose mission is to save and improve the lives of people facing kidney failure.

Cavanaugh and Baude aim to run 12 marathons across the U.S. Both have donated kidneys to strangers and hope to inspire others to do the same.

Cavanaugh, a Utah-born former U.S. Army officer and president of the National Kidney Donor Foundation, started a chain of donations when he donated his kidney at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda to a stranger in Seattle in 2021.

Baude, who lives in Connecticut, is a runner and triathlete. She was the first living kidney donor in history to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, in October. Baude has run more than 20 marathons, including three consecutive New York City Marathons. The 2023 race is special to her because she donated her kidney at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in May 2021.

Baude with some of the medals she has won in tournaments she has participated in. Photo: The Fifty — Baude with some of the medals she has won in tournaments she has participated in. Photo: *The Fifty*

"The atmosphere was electric all the way around and I'm looking forward to being back with the crowds in all five boroughs," Baude said ahead of the race. "The Boston Marathon may be older, but the New York Marathon is still a very special marathon. More than 50,000 runners run through the five boroughs, making it a great race."

Baude and Cavanaugh have run marathons in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, Cincinnati, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Hartford and Washington, and plan to travel to Philadelphia and Honolulu to complete the 1K12M challenge in 2023.

“I’m really excited to finish in Central Park, which will make my 10th marathon of the year that much more special,” Cavanaugh said. “It’s even more important to know we can raise awareness about how kidney donors can save a life and get right back to running and whatever physical activity they love.”

Cavanaugh after completing a marathon in 2023. Photo: FBNV — Cavanaugh after completing a marathon in 2023. Photo: *FBNV*

The New York City Marathon was founded in 1970 and is part of the World Marathon Majors, the world's largest annual marathon series. It takes place at the end of the year, after the races in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, and Chicago. This year's race took place on November 5 with 51,290 runners. Ethiopian runner Tamirat Tola won the men's race in 2 hours 4 minutes 58 seconds, setting a new record for the race. Kenyan runner Hellen Obiri won the women's race in 2 hours 27 minutes 23 seconds.

Hong Duy

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