RUMFORD — Connie Venskus registered early this year for her 16th Jimmy Fund Marathon Walk, a 26.2-mile trek to support research and patient care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

“I have always waited till late August or early September to register because you never know, especially since I am surely in the upper age level of walkers,” said Venskus, who will be 79 on Sept. 19.

“I started training in mid-July and have been feeling pretty good about where I am in getting ready,” she said recently.

The walk takes place Sunday, Oct. 4.

She will be walking within two miles of her home in the Virginia section of Rumford, the same area where she has been training.

In 2025, she ranked number 249 in most money raised among 9,300 participants.

“We raised $5,412.59 last year and the total for 15 years is $33,107.54,” she said. “I am so proud of this amazing total and so grateful to all those who so generously donated to a cause that is very close to my heart.

She said she doesn’t know if there are others older than her who are walking, but “I have noticed that the walk staff with whom I communicate do seem to make a big deal about my participation.”

Venskus wears a headlamp and reflective vest during the walk and uses an app on her iPhone to track her miles.

Typically, her route includes going to Adley’s Auto Sales and Service from Prospect Avenue and back, and loops onto Front Street and Crescent Avenue. She also goes out on Prospect Avenue and around Sunnyside Terrace, then Route 2, from Sunnyside Terrace up to Royal Avenue with several loops around the River Valley Crossing parking lot.

In 2021, Venskus received an email from the Jimmy Fund Walk staff congratulating her for being in the top 250 fundraisers. “All your donations have not only contributed to the very important research for a cure and for the care of cancer patients,” she said at the time, “but also to the much less important effect of putting this old lady from Rumford into a somewhat ‘elite’ group of ‘athletes.'”

She acknowledged she has a sense that this could be a less successful year in her fundraising because some are having a difficult time financially. “But I am doing this for such a worthy cause so whatever happens will be good,” she said.

Venskus will be guest speaker Thursday, Sept. 10, at 2 p.m. at the Rumford Public Library, 56 Rumford Ave.

To help raise money for Dana Farber, people can go to Venskus’ fundraising webpage at https://tinyurl.com/5ckv4db7/.

People can also go to the Jimmy Fund Walk website, danafarber.jimmyfund.org, put in her name and donate, or send her a Facebook message (Constance Venskus) to get her address and mail a donation to her.

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