Two goals, one run

Terry Glover was running through the campus of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during the 2014 St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend when he started to think about his upcoming 50^th birthday.

He knew he wanted to do something grand and include others in the celebration, but a party was not what he had in mind.

Feeling the support of St. Jude patients, families and employees cheering him on in the marathon, Glover resolved to run 50 miles for his 50^th birthday — and use the run to raise money for St. Jude as part of his participation as a St. Jude Hero in the 2015 St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend. His efforts led to $7,100 raised for St. Jude.

We all need to find something that is bigger than ourselves to try to be part of, and this run made me feel good about it as a result.

St. Jude supporter Terry Glover

Glover brought together family, friends and fellow members of RUN365 — a running club in which members try to run at least one mile each day — to support his goal. He plotted a five-mile course around his Olive Branch, Mississippi neighborhood and ran it 10 times in late September 2015. After each lap, a new running buddy would often join him for the next five miles. “I realized that making it about somebody else (and) getting other people involved is what made me successful,” Glover said.

It took a little less than 11 hours for Glover to complete his run, and he was extremely proud of the support he received.

“We all need to find something that is bigger than ourselves to try to be part of, and this run made me feel good about it as a result,” Glover said. “I couldn’t have done it without everybody’s support.”