Health Update: Health Update: Donna Marathon expo schedules breast cancer health, wellness events – What Experts Say– What Experts Say.
2022 Donna Marathon race to end breast cancer in Jacksonville Beach
More than 1,500 runners took to the streets of Jacksonville’s Beaches for the 15th running of the Donna Marathon race to finish breast cancer.
Gary T. Mills, Wochit
- The 19th annual Donna Marathon Health and Wellness Expo has moved to the new Hilton Jacksonville at Mayo Clinic.
- The two-day expo supports breast cancer research and includes the Thrive Well series with presentations on the latest treatments.
- Race founder and Mayor Donna Deegan is scheduled to open the second day of the educational series.
For runners at the Donna Marathon, the numbers on the timing board are just one part of the experience at Jacksonville and the Beaches.
The 19th annual event for breast cancer research and support is also an opportunity for survivors, patients and their families to learn more about the latest developments in the battle against the disease while at the Donna Marathon Health and Wellness Expo.
This year, in a new home.
Friday marks the first Donna Expo at Hilton Jacksonville at Mayo Clinic, just west of the Intracoastal Waterway. For an event that was facing relocation due to the renovations of EverBank Stadium and its surrounding for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the new $70 million hotel’s arrival couldn’t have come at a better time for Donna Foundation executive director Amanda Napolitano.
“It just felt like the universe was shining for us when Hilton Mayo opened in October,” she said.
The two-day event, set for Jan. 30-31 in advance of the marathon on Feb. 1, also includes the two-day Thrive Well series, with presentations on topics ranging from advances in screening and detection to the role of new technologies in breast cancer treatment.
The agenda for the educational portion of the Expo runs from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Expo parking will be inside Mayo Clinic Lot E-8.
Personalized cancer screening strategies, lifestyle approaches to mitigate risks, robotic tools for cancer surgery and new advances in clinical trials are among the presentations on the agenda. Each afternoon ends with a moderated patient panel.
Mayor and race founder Donna Deegan is scheduled to conduct the opening ceremony for the second day of the Thrive Well series, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 31. For those unable to attend in person, the Thrive Well presentations will also be available for online viewing.
In addition to the educational components, the Expo also includes the traditional exhibits from vendors in a wide variety of fields. As the site for packet pickup, the Expo draws thousands of visitors annually. Packet pickup runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Jan. 30 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 31. There is no packet pickup on marathon day.
The Expo’s relocation brings one aspect of marathon weekend back to familiar territory. For its first decade, the marathon had its finish line at Mayo Clinic.
“It feels very much like a homecoming,” Napolitano said.
Thrive Well presentation schedule
Friday, Jan. 30
12:30 p.m.: Welcome
12:50 p.m.: Love at Work, How Your Support of The DONNA Foundation Becomes Someone’s Turning Point
1:10 p.m.: Modern Screening 2026: What Every Woman Should Know
1:30 p.m.: Dense Breasts, Clear Plan: Personalized Screening Strategies
1:50 p.m.: A Drop of Blood, A World of Insight: The Future of Early Detection
2:20 p.m.: Restore and Reset: Yoga and Sound Bath for Healing
3:10 p.m.: Navigating prevention: Surgery, Medication and Lifestyle Tools to Lower Risk
3:45 p.m.: Patient Panel: Journeys Through Screening and Wellness
Saturday, Jan. 31
12:30 p.m.: Opening ceremony and keynote address from Dr. Edith Perez
1 p.m.: Next-Gen Radiation: Harnessing Proton and Carbon-Ion Technology
1:20 p.m.: The Future in the OR: Robotic and Next-Gen Surgical Techniques
1:50 p.m.: Nourish, Energize, Thrive: Lifestyle Foundations for Wellness
2:10 p.m.: Smart Bombs of Oncology: The Precision Power of Antibody–Drug Conjugates
2:30 p.m.: Clinical Trials: Advancing the Future of Care
3:05 p.m.: Patient Panel: Experiences in Clinical Trials