With every step, marathon runner hopes to honor, inspire mother

TAMPA, Fla. - Carol Coniglio is walking off the excitement of running in the Chicago Marathon.

"It was the most amazing experience ever," she offered. "It really was."  

Carol ran in honor of her mom, Barbara McMahon.

"She was super proud. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I was on the phone. I got her on on Skype and she was crying and my sister in Australia was. They were tracking me on the trackers so they could just see this little, this little dot, you know, move along as I made my way through the course."

Three years ago, Carol's mom was diagnosed with Multiple Syndrome Atrophy, a rare form of Parkinson’s that attacks the nervous system.

"I found myself really, really struggling with the disease, especially after my mom, being the youngest of 17 children, you know, taking care of my grandmother full time for 10 years. And now, when she should be traveling to see her grandkids, is now struck with this awful disease."  

Carol felt like she had to do something. So she did some research and found out about the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Their goal is to find a cure for Parkinson's.

"I believe that if I can give her the ability to see that nothing is impossible, that she can and she has the power to beat this disease, and that we will find a cure."

The foundation has runners in the event to raise money and awareness, Carol decided to join them to inspire her mom.

"Just to keep her going and to know that, you know, it's not the end of the road for her, that it's just the beginning that, you know, we can do this together. We're one team."

Carol got the strength to finish the race though her mom.

"I've been training for almost two years with my injuries to overcome everything. So I knew I had it in me and you know, I got the energy from knowing that it was for my mom," she offered.  

Carol ran the event in 5 hours and 21 minutes, and raised about $5,000.  It was an accomplishment that she was proud to do in honor of a very special lady.

LINK: Follow Carol's journey on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Irishstrong727