Robert McNally has known his sister-in-law, Jenna Knoblauch, since she was a teenager, when her endometriosis symptoms started. Aware of the pain and grief the disease has caused her, McNally applied this past spring to run the New York City Marathon on November 2 for EndoFound’s Team EndoStrong in Knoblauch’s honor.
“It was a surprise for Jenna,” McNally said. “Once I found out that I was added to the team, I called her and told her the news. She was very thankful and excited.”
McNally, 37, is one of 50 runners for Team EndoStrong aiming to collectively raise $300,000 for EndoFound. McNally is on pace to reach his personal goal of $5,000 and said his employer will match his fundraising efforts.
Knoblauch was a member of Team EndoStrong in 2024. She injured her knee two weeks before the marathon to the extent that she couldn’t walk some days. But using every pain-relief method she could think of, including physical therapy, acupuncture, and cryotherapy, she pushed herself to run. She achieved her goal of finishing the race without walking any of it.
“I didn’t think I’d finish when I hit mile 17 because the pain was so bad,” Knoblauch said. “But when I saw the Endometriosis Foundation of America’s tent at mile 18 and everyone cheering, I told myself, ‘Okay, Jenna, you can do this!’ I stopped at every medical tent on the way to have my knee wrapped in ice and get through it.”
Click Here To Support Robert McNally's Marathon Fundraiser
Knoblauch shared her endometriosis story last year before the marathon. Her pain began in 2008 when she was 14, her periods lasted at least a week, and no doctor diagnosed her until 2016. Following her diagnosis, she had three excision surgeries and a bowel resection over the next two years. After the last surgery, she went into septic shock and was fortunate to survive. She had to have an ileostomy bag for nine months.
After some years of relief, also due in part to changes in her lifestyle and diet, Knoblauch is feeling symptoms again today.
“They’re getting worse and worse. I’ve been having a lot of UTIs, inflammation, and bladder spasms—that’s how the endometriosis exhibits itself now,” Knoblauch said. “I’m suffering, and it’s hard because the symptoms are not overt that people can see, but I’m trying to manage things holistically to try to avoid having surgery again.”
Through her struggles, Jenna has continued to pursue her master’s degree in health administration, work full-time as a nurse on Long Island, and raise awareness of endometriosis, which was her primary purpose for running the marathon last year.
“I felt, especially during my fundraising, that we got the word out and people were talking about it so much more. People who saw my campaign on social media and heard about it through word of mouth were coming to me for advice and not feeling so alone,” Knoblauch said. “I’m still focused on creating more awareness and talking about it with young girls.”
Meanwhile, McNally is training for what he hopes will be the best race of his life. He ran the Philadelphia Marathon in 2022 and the Long Island Marathon in 2023. In Philadelphia, he finished with a personal best of two hours and 57 minutes, and that was with walking the last mile to the finish line. He hopes to beat that by at least seven minutes in New York.
“It was 15 degrees in Philadelphia and I wasn’t hydrated enough because all the water cups were frozen over. Both of my legs cramped up, so I was walking stiff the last mile,” he said. “This time I’ll bring my own hydration belts so that I have my own drink ready to go.”
Knoblauch will be there at the EndoFound tent to cheer for McNally.
“He could have chosen any charity to run for, and I’m honored that he chose this one to support me,” Knoblauch said. “He’s known me since I was 16 or 17 years old and has seen me at my worst, and he’s been such a positive support through it all. This is such a beautiful gesture.”
To support Robert McNally in the New York City Marathon with a donation, visit https://give.endofound.org/fundraiser/6394501.
