26.2 Step Mini MarathonPress & media
Coverage, a press kit, and a contact for interviews.
For interviews, photos, or more information, please contact us. Our press kit includes a one-page fact sheet, the logo, and a founder photo.
Download the press kitView the fact sheet (PDF)
Kit includes the fact sheet (PDF), logo, founder photo, and the recent press releases. A higher-resolution / vector logo and more event photos will be added.
In the news
Local and national coverage of the 26.2 Step Mini Marathon and our founder over the years.
- Community Matters
- Being Proactive with Your Health, with Denise Ibsen Cole
- Hundreds gather to take part in the 7th annual 26.2 Step Mini Marathon
- “Knowing your risk doesn’t have to be scary”: Mini Marathon raises awareness for hereditary cancers
- Taking steps toward better health: how an annual mini marathon focuses on preventative health in North Omaha
- “Providing access to everyone”: Mini marathon in North Omaha raises awareness for hereditary cancers
- Mini marathon in North Omaha raises awareness for hereditary cancers, health disparities
- Nebraska Medicine and UNMC gear up for their first Mini Marathon in North Omaha
- Omaha woman spreads awareness for gene testing through blog
- Mini marathon puts focus on genetic testing for cancers
- A broken hip leads to the creation of a 26.2 Step Mini Marathon
- A short walk toward a great cause
Press releases
Official announcements from recent Mini Marathons, ready to quote or republish.
8th Annual Mini Marathon Connects High-Risk Families to Resources
Announces the Sept. 21 event at Cancer Survivors Park, plus 2025 collaborations with Nebraska Medicine that reached North Omaha and more than 200 cancer survivors.
Read the 2025 release (PDF)7th Annual Mini Marathon Connects High-Risk Families to Resources
Announces the Sept. 15 event, notes more than $60,000 raised since the event began, and a year focused on prostate cancer.
Read the 2024 release (PDF)Quick facts
- Founded 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska by Denise Ibsen Cole
- 26.2 steps, not miles — an event anyone can complete
- Focus: hereditary cancer awareness, education, and genetic-testing access
- A 501(c)(3) nonprofit in formation (EIN 42-3384604)
About the organization
The 26.2 Step Mini Marathon is an Omaha-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (in formation) that raises awareness of hereditary cancer risk and removes barriers to education and genetic testing. Founded in 2016, it invites people to take 26.2 steps — not miles — in honor of someone affected by cancer, so anyone can take part regardless of ability.
Founder bio
Denise Ibsen Cole is the founder of the 26.2 Step Mini Marathon, the world’s only “step” mini marathon. She is a hereditary-cancer patient advocate and a BRCA1 previvor, a former board member of the Omaha-based Hereditary Cancer Foundation, and a patient-advocate leader for the national nonprofit FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), where she has testified at the state level against insurance discrimination for people with high-risk mutations. She is a former Education Ambassador for Bright Pink and holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Media contact
Email contact@262minimarathon.com for interviews, high-resolution logos, or founder availability.