On any given day, you can find Ivy Malcolm-Light running.
“I’ll run a loop somewhere and then end my run at a friend’s house or run in a town three towns over and have someone pick me up,” Malcolm-Light said.
An avid runner, she is training for her first marathon in April. She set her sights on the Newport Marathon in Rhode Island, choosing it for its flat terrain and proximity to the beach. “My goal is to run it and finish it,” she said, speaking slowly as if not to jinx the upcoming race. “If I can make it to the finish line, I’m going to be really happy with, and really proud of myself.”
A senior at Woodstock Day School, Malcolm-Light is also working on a project that combines her love of running with advocacy. For her senior project, she is organizing a run in memory of her late mother, Lisa, who died of breast cancer in 2015. “Lisa’s 5K Fun Run and Walk!” will take place on Saturday, March 30, at Woodstock Day School in Saugerties, New York, benefiting families affected by cancer. Proceeds will go to Family Reach, a nonprofit that helps cancer patients and their families with non-medical expenses, including transportation and household bills.
“I knew I wanted to in some way honor my mom through some aspect of my life—in this case, my high school graduation experience—because she can’t be here,” she said.
Lisa Malcolm was first diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in 2004. Years later, the cancer came back, spreading to her liver. Although Malcolm-Light was only 8 when her mother died in 2015, she remembers the challenges her family faced as they navigated treatments, specialists, long hospital stays, and mounting medical expenses.
“We were fortunate that we lived in New York City because we have so many resources and doctors and so much constantly developing technology. But for a lot of families, they don’t have that,” she said.
An estimated 42,170 women in the United States will die from breast cancer in 2025, according to the American Cancer Society. An AARP report notes that the average cost of cancer treatment is $150,000.
Her stepmother, Jen Light, was surprised when Malcolm-Light told her she wanted to organize a fun run.
“It seemed like such a big undertaking for a teenager, but she made a solid plan, consulted the right people and, with the support of Woodstock Day School, created what’s going to be a great event,” Light said. “I know Lisa is so proud and moved by all the work Ivy has done in her honor.”
Running Ahead
Malcolm-Light discovered running a few years ago after moving from Brooklyn to the Village of Rhinebeck. “I didn’t have a driver’s license yet, and I wanted to become healthier as a whole,” she said. She joined the cross-country team, winning numerous races. She completed her first half-marathon, then another. She also coached for Girls on the Run, an anti-bullying program that promotes self-confidence.
“I really loved that experience, and I liked bringing running to other people’s lives and seeing how that impacted them. So, I knew I wanted to do something that kind of got the community running, got the community out there,” she said.
Lisa’s Run is the first race she has organized, and she quickly discovered how much happens behind the scenes—securing insurance, release forms, medical staff, coordinating a date, and arranging parking, all while spreading the word. So far, she has promoted the event through word of mouth, her cross-country team, social media, and flyers around town. The Upstate Theater in Rhinebeck, where she works part-time at the box office, has also spotlighted the event on screen.
As she nears the end of her senior year, Malcolm-Light is looking ahead to college. She plans to study kinesiology at the University of Rhode Island and become a physical therapist, excited about a career focused on health and movement.
As a runner, it’s no surprise she dreams of one day completing the New York City Marathon. “That is a hard bib to get, so that’s something I’ll be working on in the future,” she said.
But for now, she is focused on seeing her first organized race through to the finish line, taking joy in the impact it could have on families facing cancer.
Amy Wu is a reporter covering Woodstock and Saugerties. Send correspondence to amy@theoverlooknews.com.