The St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend is the largest single-day fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, thanks to the efforts of St. Jude Heroes and those who donate to help St. Jude kids.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Unlike other hospitals, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from generous donors. In fact, approximately 75 percent of the funds necessary to sustain and grow St. Jude comes from donors and fundraisers who are united in a common goal: Finding cures. Saving children®.
How fundraising helps
Cost to family: $0
Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
Our goal: 100% survival
Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago.
Saving children everywhere
St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children.
Since 2002, nearly 250,000 St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend participants have raised more than $90 million for St. Jude
As a participant, you can become part of the legacy that's allowed St. Jude Heroes to help cover the cost of:
- acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment for nearly 100 patients
- bone marrow transplants for over 200 children
- 8,000 days in the ICU
- 4,000,000 meals for St. Jude patients
St. Jude patient Santiago, age 3, brain cancer, with his dad
What does being a St. Jude Hero mean to you? Tell us your fundraising story, and we may feature it to inspire other fundraisers.
All St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend participants are given the opportunity to fundraise. While fundraising is not required for general registrants, it's the best way to support the kids of St. Jude. We’ll give you everything you need — simply log in to your participant center after you register, and we’ll guide you from there.
We encourage all participants to meet their fundraising goal by race weekend, but Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum St. Jude Heroes have until January 4, 2021 to raise their committed amount.
Meet some of the kids of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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National Best Friends Day: Patient Story
Best Friends Day is June 8, but every day is Best Friends Day for St. Jude patients Sadie and Mia, who wear matching outfits and schedule appointments together.
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Meet Da'Maya
Da'Maya's initial symptoms seemed minor. But after her mom, Sywanda, noticed she seemed sleepy in church, she became worried. A biopsy revealed cancer.
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Meet Imani
Imani was diagnosed with cancer at 5 weeks old. Her family feared the worst. But at St. Jude, there was hope for her future.
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Meet Melanie
When Melanie was diagnosed with brain cancer and referred to St. Jude, she wasn’t nervous. She was actually looking forward to treatment — chemotherapy, proton therapy and visits from St. Jude therapy dog Huckleberry — because to Melanie, St. Jude meant getting well again.
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Meet Leah
Leah is a big sister who loves dresses, shopping, singing and helping in the kitchen. In March 2019, she was referred to St. Jude for acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment, which included a transplant with her mother as her donor.
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Meet Riku
While treatment for medulloblastoma is a difficult journey for 4-year-old Riku, his parents, Noriko and Jun, are there to give him strength and support along the way.