Veronica Arce

Hey there and welcome to my fundraiser page. If you found yourself here by chance- my name is Veronica, but please feel free to call me Roni.  This is my first year running this 5k... or any 5k, for that matter. How about we start from the beginning?

You would never have heard me call myself a runner at the beginning of this year. The thought of running felt daunting and, honestly, a little scary. However, I needed a change, a challenge. I started to run in April of this year after signing up for the Rochester Lilac 5k on a whim. Now, this is my third 5k and not my last. In many ways, running has become a healing process and outlet for me. A way to connect with myself, and hey, you cannot really think when you're just trying to remember to breathe. 

Running for this cause feels like a full-circle moment. When I was 19 years old, I lost my father to pancreatic cancer. I found out 2 weeks into my freshman year at Fredonia that he would not see me graduate. Cancer is not something unfamiliar; however, the toll it took on my dad was. Although stubborn, my father entered Hospice care in his final summer with us. My family and I are forever grateful for the care and heart the staff put into their work. He found comfort in his final time that, without Hospice, he would never have. 

This is for Dad & Paula and the wonderful people in between. Gone too soon but not forgotten.


Thank you to my support system that I am so lucky to have. To my friends who woke at 4 am to see my first race, my mom who hears about all my splits, and the people who constantly send me encouragement.  You are just as much a part of this as I am. <3