Marist freshman distance runner Mallory Holloway was born into running.
Holloway grew up as an only child with parents who ran in college at the University of South Carolina and Cal Poly Humboldt, and then went on to become track coaches as adults.
The path to becoming the promising distance runner she is today, however, was not as straightforward as it appeared on the surface.
According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, there are 40,000 individuals living with cystic fibrosis in the United States and 105,000 people across 94 countries. At 18 months old, Holloway was diagnosed with the disease.
Cystic fibrosis, a double recessive rare genetic lung disease, is progressive and life-threatening due to the formation of thick mucus built up in the lungs, digestive tract and other parts of the body. It leads to severe respiratory and digestive problems as well as other complications. An individual running long distances with cystic fibrosis would seem to be out of the question.
Holloway disproves this theory on a daily basis. Following the winter season, she was named Marist’s Cross Country Rookie of the Year by her coaches for being the top freshman and exemplifying consistency throughout the season.
“I think she can leave here as one of the best runners I have ever coached. I see her becoming an all-conference performer, possibly as early as next year,” said associate head coach Chuck Williams. “We have a very young team and she can be a big part of some of the best teams we ever have coming up in these next few years.”
The Holloway family prides themselves on staying physically active. Holloway’s father owns a bicycle shop, and she has eleven cousins who have run in high school or continue to run at the collegiate level. The family takes hikes on Thanksgiving and celebrates other holidays with early morning runs at Holloway’s grandparent’s house.
Running started as a fun activity in middle school to bond with her family, yet it became a serious commitment for Holloway as she got older. She quickly realized that running at the collegiate level was a possibility while the joy and passion constantly found in running always remained.
“I just feel like I’m like myself. I feel like I’m in the right place at the right time when I’m running,” said Holloway.
Holloway finds importance in pushing herself to the greatest lengths. She developed this mentality through growing up with her best friends Katrina and Matt, better known as Mom and Dad, in Wilmington, Delaware.
After Holloway arrived at Marist, Williams quickly took notice of her mentality and work ethic.
“She has this drive to just get better; I don’t think she would say this but, I think she wants to prove people wrong,” said Williams. “Like, ‘This disease doesn’t define me. I’m gonna be one of those people who shows you that you can compete at a high level.”
For Holloway, running is vital to her body. Whether it’s running during meets or enjoying a casual run with her family, running is a remedy that keeps Holloway in a positive headspace and also improves her physical condition.
“There’s an aspect of [running] that helps my lungs get more air and get rid of any infection. It’s like a replacement for some of the treatments that I had been doing, so it definitely helps,” said Holloway.
When Holloway was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Katrina and Matt were left with few places to go to ensure that their daughter got the care she needed.
“It was really, really bad when I was younger. I would have to go to the hospital to get checkups, I was really underweight and I was breathing at a significantly lower lung function,” said Holloway.
Because of the low number of individuals diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, there was little funding or research conducted on the condition during Holloway’s childhood. Her lung capacity sat at around 60 percent functionality, resulting in three breathing treatments and roughly 20 different pills being a part of Holloway’s daily regimen; this lasted all the way up until her freshman year of high school.
“There wasn’t as much publicity on it. So [my parents] helped fundraise a lot. My dad’s bike shop would do 24-hour spin fundraisers to raise money for it and my mom would always do a cystic fibrosis walk every year with a team,” said Holloway.
The fundraising done by the Holloways during these events went directly towards research and creation of drugs for cystic fibrosis including Trikafta.
Following years of scientific breakthroughs, Trikafta was finally approved in October of 2019, according to the FDA. The drug acts as a novel treatment for around 90 percent of cystic fibrosis patients who either previously had no options or wanted access to an additional effective therapy.
When Holloway ran prior to using Trikafta, she noticed significant levels of fatigue that forced her to take several days off because her body needed more time to recover.
“My body was working so hard to fight off infections. I would get infections every time I would go to the doctor. [My body] wouldn’t be able to use the food that I was eating to help me recover, so I would just be constantly exhausted and that would lead to me getting more sick,” said Holloway. “After I started taking [Trikafta], that all reduced a lot.”
As her health improved and abilities increased, Holloway stood out at her high school track meets while being coached by her parents. This opened her eyes to the possibility of running in college. Sure enough, during her junior year of high school, the recruitment process began.
Holloway began sending out emails to coaches in search of her next home to run cross country. At the same time, she alternatively considered following in her Mom’s footsteps as a teacher.
“One of the main things was feeling a connection with a coach,” said Holloway. “Chuck [Williams] was my main recruiter and I had told him that I had cystic fibrosis because I obviously think that’s important for coaches to know. He was really transparent with me about the fact that he understands what it’s like to coach an athlete with cystic fibrosis. That was one of the main reasons that I ended up coming [to Marist].”
From 2017 to 2020, Williams coached former Marist sprinter Santosh Krishnan, who also has cystic fibrosis. Williams is also a certified special education teacher and has a son with Aspergers. In short, he has frequently been around individuals who face challenges on a daily basis.
With this being the case, Williams was more than comfortable adding Holloway to the Marist roster.
“She’s giving her absolute best, so I owe it to her to be the best possible coach to help her reach her potential and break any boundaries that people may have,” said Williams. “There are people who have difficulties, but it doesn’t define who you are and it shouldn’t limit who you are. She believes in herself, she has a coach who believes in her and a great support system.”
In the short time she has been a Red Fox, the team has welcomed Holloway with open arms and she has gotten off to a fast start. In the first meet of the season, commonly referred to as a “rust buster,” Holloway set a personal record–– a very uncommon feat.
As the cross country season progressed, she continued to break her previous bests and her confidence grew with each race. Holloway opened the season with an 8th place finish at the Marist Season Opener, followed by a 14th place finish at the LIU Fall Festival, a 12th in the Vermont Fall Foliage Invitational and a 35th place finish out of 121 runners in the 6k MAAC Championships. Holloway also earned First Team All-MET Honors during the season.
Prior to Marist, Holloway shied away from representing the cystic fibrosis community; she just wanted to blend in with everyone else. As she got closer to her freshman year at Marist, she realized the importance of doing so and now embraces her role as an athlete for the Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF).
BEF was founded by former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason. Esiason’s son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in 1993, leading Esiason to create a dynamic partnership of leaders in the medical and business communities. These leaders teamed up with a committed core of volunteers to heighten awareness, education and quality of life for those affected by cystic fibrosis. They also provide financial support to research aimed at finding a cure, according to BEF.
“Until I joined the Boomer Esiason Foundation, I never wanted to talk about the fact that I had CF and I never really wanted to think about it,” said Holloway. “But, once I started posting on my account about my story, I read the feedback from my friends and other people and I realized how important it was to share,… they give us a platform to inspire younger kids with cystic fibrosis. Parents who find out that their kids are diagnosed with cystic fibrosis are told things by their doctors, but I think we give hope to the families to see that you can be successful.”
Now, Holloway does everything with a smile while investing full effort into each day. Whether it be doing extra lifts or taking extra time to recover, being able to do long-distance running at a high level is even more impressive given the lung complications involved.
What may just be a sport or hobby for some, Holloway creates inspiration through running. As she continues to grow as an athlete and an individual, Holloway plans to continue building off a successful start to her collegiate career.
After college, she wants running to be a constant throughout her life while traveling to national parks across the United States, fulfilling her dream as a teacher, continuing to motivate others and, most importantly, living her life to the fullest.
Edited by Ben Leeds and Luke Sassa
Graphic by Eugene Barbieri; Photos from Marist Athletics and Mallory Holloway
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