BRIGHTON, N.Y. — Some 1,300 runners and walkers filled the grounds of Monroe Community College on Saturday for the Breast Cancer Coalition’s Pink & Teal Challenge, raising money for the fight against breast and gynecologic cancers –and everyone there had a story.

Many shared those stories with News10NBC’s Deanna Dewberry, who also emceed the event. Each was there for a sister, a friend, an aunt, a mother — running and walking for those who cannot.

Laura Galeazzo finished first place in the run, long before the rest of the pack.

“It does make it a little tough when you’re fighting back tears and trying to run, but it definitely puts more meaning in the miles,” she said.

“Meaning in the miles” — her meaning deepened by her love for one facing a fierce foe.

“Right now my mother-in-law is fighting really hard against breast cancer,” Laura said.

Every runner, every walker, every family has a story.

There’s breast cancer survivor Michele Prince. “I am BRCA1 positive. My daughter is BRCA1 positive. My daughter just got tested here to see if she is.  So it’s been a journey to find out that that’s a part of our family inside of our genetics,” she said.

The BRCA1 gene mutation makes a woman up to 85% more likely to develop breast cancer during her lifetime and up to 46% more likely to develop ovarian cancer.

So for this family, this run and cause have special significance.

“My second oldest, who’s running the race, she got our shirts made and she became an oncology nurse because of my fight,” Michele said.

She was among the pack, pounding the pavement with a singular purpose.

Deanna Dewberry: Were you running for your mama?

Alessaundra Boose, runner:  Yeah.

Deanna Dewberry: What were you thinking as you were running?

Alessaundra Boose: I have kids too. A 2- and 4-year-old. So just running for them and all the people battling cancer.

Alessaundra is just 29 and is also BRCA1 positive. The hope is that money raised from events like the Pink & Teal Challenge will fund research that will change the course of cancer care.

“Our goal is to raise over $223,000, and I think we’re headed in that direction,” said Meredith Utman, director of special events with the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester.

Every dime stays locally, funding programs and research.

And so they run, they walk, they cheer from the sidelines — all with the hope that their efforts one day will fund cancer’s cure.

Even though the race is over, the fundraiser is not. You can make a donation to the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester here.