Sam Hendel is a 29 year old who grew up in Buffalo, NY and moved to Austin in 2017 after graduating from The Ohio State University. After losing her mom, Rita, to Small Cell Lung Cancer in 2022, Sam turned to running as a way to cope with her grief. Sam ran her first marathon in February of 2024 and shortly after founded Good Grief Running, with the mission to help people find the good in grief through movement and community. Good Grief Run Club has grown to over 2,500 members across Austin, with over 100 people meeting every Monday morning at 7am to run together. Sam plans to continue to honor her mom each week through Good Grief Run Club and raising money for LUNGevity, a non-profit dedicated to helping find a cure for lung cancer cancer.
