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Hilary Baude, a Sacred Heart University graduate and current doctoral student, donated a kidney to a stranger in 2021. This year, she ran 12 marathons, two of which were intense Ironman races, to prove that donating a kidney does not compromise one’s health.

American Hilary Baude embodies “giving” in a way that’s hard to imagine – donating a kidney and then proving that you can still thrive.

When Hilary Baude isn’t teaching, anyone can usually find her on a gravel path running.“I started running as a way to process and kind of move through some tough emotions,” said Baude.Baude relied on running as an escape from reality because life hasn’t always been easy.

By running 12 marathons in 12 months, Matt Cavanaugh and Hilary Baude hope to show that organ donors can lead healthy, active lives.

Like most working moms, Hilary Baude, 41, is usually on the go. She’s a kindergarten teacher, has two kids, is an avid marathon runner, and just became the first kidney donor to ever compete in the Ironman World Championships.

Living kidney donor athletes Matt Cavanaugh and Hilary Baude are getting ready to toe the line at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, in what will be their 10th marathon this year to raise awareness for living organ donation.

More than 8,500 runners came to Hartford to participate in the annual Eversource Hartford Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K. Each has their own reason for running. Matt Cavanaugh is raising awareness for a cause near to his heart: living kidney donation.

If you are looking for inspiration, sit for a moment with Wilson Du and listen to his story. It was 2016 and he was just 34-years old, working hard, and playing harder when his kidneys failed. This weekend, he will run the San Francisco Marathon 5K. 

This weekend, the Salt Lake City Marathon will form a 26.2-mile human wave of health, running right past thousands in the Salt Lake City area who are homebound in kidney failure. Several runners will demonstrate how those with the good fortune of good health can help others. I am one of those runners.

Steve Wilson may have only one kidney, but that hasn’t slowed him down. After donating one of his kidneys a little over two years ago, he was determined to prove that the procedure didn’t change his lifestyle—so he climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.