In April, Mark Scrivner plans to run 26 miles at the Music City Marathon in Nashville. But as his feet hit the ground, each mile means more to Scrivner than the average runner. Every family has their own way of keeping memories, but Mark Scrivner marks his memories at a finish line 26 miles away.

"My goal was to run the entire marathon," says Scrivner. "I will finish this marathon."

It's a feat that brings both sweat and tears to his face. "It's definitely hard running 26 miles, " Scrivner says.

But no matter the mileage, he finds strength in a memory.

"It feels like I'm running with my dad," Scrivner describes.

Mark is running for his father every step of the way.

"He just finished bailing hay and was coughing and they were treating him for pneumonia. Two weeks into his pneumonia diagnosis he went to the hospital and he had cancer in both lungs," remembers Mark's mother, Linda Scrivner.

"One of the first things the doctor told him was that he needed to prepare his body like he was running a marathon," says Mark.

After his father died of lung cancer, Mark's running shoes met their match on the pavement.

"The last day of his life he gave this medal back to me and he said, 'I finished the race, this is your medal'," Scrivner remembers.

As he makes his way through the home stretch, he says his dad will somehow will cheer him on.

"At the end of the race, if my dad was there with me, what I would want him to say is 'I'm proud of you'," Mark thinks.

It's a very healing process. It's healing for all of us. It's a great tribute to his father... We're very proud of Mark," says Linda.

Mark says no distance can slow his pace as he runs for a cure, because Linda says that for the Scrivner family, "It's in memory of every person who has lost a love one".

Selected home video clips provided by Camels with a Cause on behalf of Mark Scrivner.