{"id":94516,"date":"2026-10-15T16:14:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T22:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=94516"},"modified":"2026-10-15T16:14:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T22:14:37","slug":"pikes-peak-marathon-winner-cancer-care-nurse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/pikes-peak-marathon-winner-cancer-care-nurse\/","title":{"rendered":"Cancer-care nurse wins women\u2019s race in the iconic Pikes Peak Marathon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Chrissy
Chrissy Lofgren crossed the Pikes Peak Marathon finish line in Manitou Springs in first place, after summer training on trails and in races across the West. Photo courtesy of Stephen Martin\/explorewithmedia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chrissy Lofgren paused briefly at the summit of Pikes Peak and watched other racers snake through the steep trail switchbacks below.<\/p>\n

For a moment, she took in the same expansive view that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful”<\/a> after visiting the summit in 1893.<\/p>\n

Lofgren was about 13 miles into the 26.2-mile Pikes Peak Marathon.<\/a><\/p>\n

She quickly filled a water bottle at a summit aid station as spectators and volunteers cheered under the sunny blue Colorado sky.<\/p>\n

\"Chrissy
Chrissy Lofgren started running cross country in seventh grade and continued competing in college in Minnesota. After the COVID-19 pandemic cut short her collegiate outdoor track season, she assumed that her competitive running days were behind her. Then, she moved to Colorado and took up trail running. Photo courtesy of Stephen Martin\/explorewithmedia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Less than a minute after reaching the top of the peak, Lofgren headed down, dodging rocks and runners climbing toward the top. A woman runner on her way up gave Lofgren a high-five, and for the first time since the race began, Lofgren let herself believe she could win.<\/p>\n

As the first woman to reach the halfway point of the Sept. 20 race up and down the 14,115-foot peak, Lofgren had reason to be hopeful. Plus, she\u2019s especially good at running down steep slopes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got to the top, that\u2019s when it hit me: I\u2019m in first place, and I could maybe win,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

After threading her way down through the course’s highest, rockiest section and back into the forest, Lofgren, 28, picked up speed. Far below her, Colorado Springs spread toward the horizon.<\/p>\n

As she descended, she drew strength thinking about supporters she knew would be cheering for her at the finish line, including her sister, running friends and the oncology nurse colleagues she works with at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Following two passions: running and nursing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Pikes Peak Marathon is as epic as its namesake mountain, drawing runners from across the country who race up and down Barr Trail on the peak’s eastern face. Its sister event, the Pikes Peak Ascent half-marathon, happens the day before the marathon.<\/p>\n

Race organizers founded the Pikes Peak Marathon in 1956 and bill the event as the oldest continuously held marathon in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Lofgren\u2019s road to the marathon starting line began in Stewartville, Minnesota, where she grew up with her mother, father, and younger sister, Amy Lofgren. The girls spent lots of time outdoors, playing and participating in sports. Chrissy Lofgren started running cross country in seventh grade, while Amy Lofgren joined the high school volleyball team.<\/p>\n

\"Chrissy
Chrissy Lofgren, with medal, regularly qualified for high school state track competitions in Minnesota. She won an athletic scholarship and ran track and cross country in college. She credits the support of her parents, Sue Lofgren, left, and Jim Lofgren, right, and her sister, Amy, for her running success. Photo courtesy of Amy Lofgren.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In high school, Chrissy Lofgren regularly qualified for the state championship meets, her teammates chanting, \u201crun, Chrissy, run,\u201d when she competed, Amy Lofgren said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople knew that running was her thing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Chrissy Lofgren also liked science classes in high school and looked at colleges and universities with nursing degree programs. She earned an athletic scholarship to St. Cloud State University<\/a> in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where she ran indoor and outdoor track and cross-country while working toward her nursing degree.<\/p>\n

Nursing made sense for Chrissy, Amy Lofgren said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a very selfless, caring person and someone I would want to have as my nurse,\u201d Amy Lofgren said.<\/p>\n

During college, Chrissy Lofgren visited an oncology unit during clinical rotations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a feeling that\u2019s where I wanted to be and where I was meant to be, caring for patients during one of the hardest times of their lives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In early 2020, she was coming off a great indoor track season, after setting a new school record in the indoor mile. She was excited to compete outdoors. But the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended her collegiate running career. She assumed her competitive running days were over. She graduated, like so many others, with a degree but no graduation ceremony.<\/p>\n

She began looking for nursing jobs outside of Minnesota. She was intrigued by the idea of living near the mountains. She had visited Colorado when she was younger and felt drawn to the power and mystique of the state’s grand peaks.<\/p>\n

\"Chrissy
Chrissy Lofgren’s patients are never far from her thoughts, including when she’s running. She works as an oncology infusion nurse at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs. \u201cI can\u2019t imagine doing anything else.” Photo by Joanna Bean, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lofgren was thrilled when she got a job as an inpatient oncology nurse at Memorial Hospital Central. She and her dog, Nelson, a golden retriever-poodle mix, joined a longtime friend who was moving to Colorado.<\/p>\n

Lofgren started her job in July 2020. She was a new nurse living hundreds of miles from home, starting her first job during the height of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Running remained a constant. She would head out with Nelson, logging miles on nearby roads, with Pikes Peak<\/a> and the southern Colorado Front Range in view. She knew about the marathon but didn\u2019t give it much thought. She focused on road running.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found comfort in running,\u201d she said. \u201cThat was one thing COVID couldn\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discovering her calling in oncology nursing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 2024, Lofgren switched jobs, moving from inpatient cancer care to Memorial Hospital Central\u2019s infusion center<\/a>, where patients come in to receive their chemotherapy, immunotherapy and other intravenous medications.<\/p>\n

As an oncology infusion nurse, she monitors patients during treatment, helps manage their side effects and symptoms and provides education, support and care for patients and their families during what is often a difficult cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

She said she\u2019s grown to love oncology nursing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t imagine doing anything else,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Mandi Beeler, an oncology nurse who works with Lofgren, describes her as a \u201cfantastic nurse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s deeply caring,” said Beeler, who began her nursing career 22 years ago. “She\u2019s very kind. She connects well with patients, and she has really good nursing intuition. And she\u2019s got a really funny sense of humor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beeler praised Lofgren for the inpatient nursing experience she brought to the infusion center and described her as a great teammate.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, she said, Lofgren possesses what she calls \u201ca level of mental toughness\u201d that serves her well in her job and in running.<\/p>\n

Lofgren said her patients are never far from her thoughts, including when she\u2019s on the trail.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m running, I think about the patients I take care of,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel really lucky to have a healthy body that can run up and down mountains. I put myself in these situations of voluntary suffering, whereas many of our patients are dealing with hard things that they don\u2019t have a choice about. They are going through cancer treatment and dealing with really difficult news about their health.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes me grateful for what I have,\u201d she said. \u201cIt changes my perspective on things. And I feel honored to be part of their care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding her footing on Colorado trails<\/strong><\/h2>\n

After moving to Colorado, Lofgren took up many other outdoor hobbies: backpacking, camping, downhill and cross-country skiing and gravel biking. Then, she tried trail running and loved it.<\/p>\n

Colorado Springs and nearby Manitou Springs boast seemingly endless miles of trails that attract runners and hikers of all abilities and ambitions. Lofgren\u2019s favorite trail-running spots include North Cheyenne Ca<\/span>\u00f1<\/span>on<\/span>\u00a0Park<\/a>, Red Rock Canyon Open Space<\/a> and Stratton Open Space<\/a>, to name a few.<\/p>\n

She also built a community of trail runners who became friends.<\/p>\n

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The Pikes Peak Marathon<\/strong><\/p>\n