Memphis to Peoria: Runners hit the road again for St. Jude

Photography by Biomedical Communications



A dedicated group of runners braved the summer’s record heat to help the kids of St. Jude by participating in the St. Jude Memphis to Peoria Run. This year marked the 29th year of the Memphis to Peoria Run -- a four-day, 465-mile relay-style event that began on the campus of St. Jude on Aug. 4 and ended in Peoria, Ill., Aug. 7.

St. Jude patients, families, staff and supporters gathered in front of the Patient Care Center to listen as David L. McKee, chief operating officer of ALSAC, and Sheriff Mike McCoy, co-founder of the run and member of the ALSAC/St. Jude Boards of Directors and Governors, welcomed the runners to this year’s event. Well-wishers cheered on the dedicated group of 175 runners as they prepared to hit the road. Runners included hospital staff as well as former patients. ALSAC CEO Richard C. Shadyac Jr., also participated in part of the run to Peoria.

In Peoria, more than a thousand runners who participated in auxiliary runs from other cities in the region, as well as Chicago and St. Louis, joined in to kick off the annual St. Jude Telethon raising funds and awareness for the hospital. The tote board total for the telethon, now in its 33rd year, was more than $5.6 million, including the more than $2.5 million raised by the runners. Since the event’s beginnings, the Peoria effort has raised more than $25 million to support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.