By Kimberly Dunbar

On Patriot’s Day, thousands of people will be crowding the streets of Boston to either watch the Red Sox take on the Texas Rangers in the traditional matinee game or to catch a glimpse of the runners in the historic Boston Marathon. Not Katherine Drenzek. She will be running those 26.2 miles as a member of the Dana-Farber team racing to find a cure for cancer.

The 27-year-old manager of the 111 Chop House here on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street decided to run the marathon when one of her waitresses, Arleen, was diagnosed with lymphoma. “This really hit home for me,” said Drenzek, whose sister was diagnosed with lymphoma when she was four years old. “She was treated at Dana-Farber and is 20 years cancer-free this year. I’m running in honor of my sister and in support of Arleen,” she added.

Drenzek has worked at the Chop House for four years and has been a manager for the last year. Between work and training for the marathon, Drenzek doesn’t have much time for anything else. “I’ve never run a marathon before,” said Drenzek, who runs for at least an hour a day to get in shape. She added that her runs are usually done outdoors, but because of an extra snowy and cold winter, she has spent a lot of time training indoors at Worcester Fitness.

“I hope that by finishing the race, I will feel a great sense of pride in my physical accomplishment as well as knowing I’m helping to find a cure for cancer,” said Drenzek. However, she most likely won’t run another because of the grueling training routine. “I really like running, but 26.2 miles is past the point of being fun!” she said.

Drenzek also hopes to reach her fundraising goal of $3,000 that will go toward cancer research. “My sister is my best friend and I can’t imagine my life without her,” she said. “Without the treatment and support from Dana-Farber, my sister might not still be with us.”

Arleen, whom Drenzek has known for just about a year, is also receiving her treatment at Dana-Farber. “I can’t wait for her to be back at work!” Drenzek added.

To support Drenzek in her race against cancer ~ and to help Arleen and the millions of other Americans with cancer ~ log on to www.rundfmc.org. Click on “Support a Runner” and enter her name, Katherine Drenzek, to make a donation.