MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Runners participating in the St. Jude Marathon this weekend are doing those final stretches and “carbing” up before the big race.
WREG-TV’s Adam Hammond is running the half-marathon and explains why in the video above.
Ellen Taylor will open up St. Jude’s Memphis Marathon weekend by singing the national anthem, but without the children’s cancer research hospital, Ellen and her sweet voice may have never survived.
“I kind of liken it to standing in a wind tunnel or a huge rushing wind. You kind of hear it, ‘your child has cancer,’ you see their mouths moving but you don’t want to hear the words so bad. It’s like a big wind and all of a sudden you hear nothing else and think my baby has cancer, said Ellen’s father J. Lee Taylor.
In 2008, Ellen was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The very next day her treatment at St. Jude began, and it’s now a place her parent still consider their safe place almost seven years later as she is in remission.
“When we walked into St. Jude we were hopeless. We thought it was over. We were just hopeless. And then about the second or third day a little bit of hop began to trickle in and that hope grew and grew,” said Taylor.
Ellen may be kicking off the St. Jude Marathon by singing the national anthem, but her father is finishing the race out by announcing names as racers cross the finish line.
More than 20,000 people will run the course throughout Memphis Saturday morning.
The marathon is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s largest single fundraising event.
It takes $2 million a day to operate the hospital where families of patients never have to pay a single bill.
Fighters like Ellen know it’s worth it too, because since St. Jude Opened its doors more than 50 years ago, the overall childhood cancer survival rate has improved from 20% to 80%, thanks in large part to research happening right here in Memphis.
Last year’s marathon weekend raised a record-setting $8.2 million dollars to support that research even though the event was cancelled due to weather.
“This year we’re not quite on pace to get to that 8.2 million dollars. That’s really our mission this week. We’re trying to get as many people to show up, to donate and to volunteer their time,” said ALSAC Sr. VP of Field Operations Chris Boysen.
The St. Jude Marathon Weekend isn’t only big for St. Jude the city of Memphis’s local economy gets a $20 Million boost as more than 60% of participants are coming from out of town.
To donate and help St. Jude meet its goal please visit www.stjude.org
To the St. Jude families,
I don’t know why you’re in the position you’re in. I don’t know why you’re beautiful child is facing so much pain and uncertainty.
No child or family should face the horrifying disease of cancer, but here’s what I do know. You are at the best place in the world to fight and beat childhood cancer.
Here’s what else I know, you’re not alone.
20,000 other people and I have your back.
We’re lacing up our running shoes and hitting this pavement all around the bluff city to raise money to fight childhood cancer.
It’s not east to train for a marathon or half.
It breaks your body down and pushes you to new limits.
I’ve been training since the summer running three to five miles a few days a week, a long run on Saturday mornings. I’ve also been sticking to a very clean diet plan. But that’s nothing compared to what your family and patient are going though.
I want to do the race because since St. Jude opened its doors more than 50 years ago treatments invented right here in Memphis have improved the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 to 80 percent. The miracles taking place at St. Jude have saved thousands of lives and allowed survivors to go on to be parents, change the world, and give back to the next generation of St. Jude patients.
As St. Jude families know, hearing your child has cancer can be devastating and incredibly intimidating, but because of the thousands of St. Jude Heroes money is raised on your behalf so you never have to pay a bill. Not gas, not lodging, not even food.
The St. Jude Marathon is the hospitals largest single fundraising effort, and when we cross the finish line Saturday we’re not just accomplish a running goal or beating a time limit we’re honoring your life and fight.
As we pace ourselves in the race, St. Jude is also steadily making strides toward a cure, and one day they will cross the finish line.
Sincerely,
Adam