St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children’s catastrophic diseases, particularly leukemia and other cancers. As a non-profit hospital, St. Jude relies heavily on charitable contributions to support its mission of finding cures and saving children.
St. Jude’s biggest annual fundraiser is the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend. This two-day event includes a marathon, half marathon, 5K, kids marathon and other races that attract over 20,000 participants. The marathon weekend raises millions of dollars each year to help St. Jude continue its groundbreaking research and lifesaving work for sick children.
What is the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend?
The St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend is St. Jude’s largest annual fundraising event. It takes place every December in Memphis, TN and includes multiple races over two days:
- Marathon – 26.2 mile run
- Half Marathon – 13.1 mile run
- 10K – 6.2 mile run
- 5K – 3.1 mile run
- 1 mile walk
- Kids Marathon – Series of 1 mile runs for kids
In addition to the races, the Marathon Weekend features a two-day Health and Fitness Expo with over 100 exhibitors. There are also pre-race pasta dinners, a post-race concert and other events surrounding the races.
The Marathon Weekend attracts over 20,000 runners, walkers and volunteers. Participants register and fundraise leading up to the event, with all proceeds going to St. Jude. Many participants are St. Jude patients, survivors and their families.
When did the St. Jude Memphis Marathon start?
The first St. Jude Memphis Marathon took place in 2002 with over 3,000 participants. It was founded by Virginia Grimes, a Memphis resident and St. Jude donor, as a way to increase community support and fundraising for St. Jude.
The inaugural event included a marathon, half marathon, 5K and kids marathon. It raised over $1 million for St. Jude.
The event grew substantially over the next several years into a major regional race. In 2007, it expanded into a two-day event with the addition of a 10K race and health expo.
Here is a timeline of key milestones in the history of the St. Jude Memphis Marathon:
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2002 | First St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend held with over 3,000 participants |
| 2007 | Expanded to two-day event with addition of 10K and health expo |
| 2013 | Surpassed $25 million total fundraising |
| 2017 | Reached over 20,000 participants |
| 2021 | Celebrated 20th Anniversary |
Over its 20 year history, the event has become a major fundraiser and awareness builder for St. Jude in the Memphis community and beyond.
How much money does the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend raise?
The St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend raises millions of dollars each year for the hospital. Some key fundraising totals over the years include:
- 2007 – $4.1 million
- 2010 – $8.2 million
- 2015 – $10.5 million
- 2019 – $15 million
- 2021 – $13.1 million
The highest fundraising total was $15 million in 2019. Over the history of the event, the St. Jude Memphis Marathon has raised more than $85 million total to support St. Jude.
The average fundraising per participant is over $700. Many participants join St. Jude Heroes, a program for runners to fundraise toward a personalized goal leading up to the Marathon Weekend. Top fundraisers can raise over $10,000 each.
In addition to participant fundraising, sponsorships from corporate partners like Nike, FedEx and AutoZone help drive the total dollars raised.
How does the fundraising from the marathon help St. Jude?
As a nonprofit hospital, St. Jude relies on charitable donations to operate its life-saving mission. The Memphis Marathon provides critical funding each year to help cover the following areas:
- Research – St. Jude spends over $1 million per day on research to advance treatment and cures for pediatric catastrophic diseases. Marathon funds support leading researchers and groundbreaking clinical trials.
- Patient care – Funds help cover medical costs so St. Jude can provide treatment to patients regardless of their ability to pay. No family ever receives a bill from St. Jude.
- Hospital operations – It costs over $2.4 million per day to operate St. Jude’s six-building campus. Marathon funds help cover operational costs like staff salaries, equipment, utilities and maintenance.
- Outreach and education – St. Jude shares its research and knowledge worldwide. Marathon funds support educational conferences, treatment guidelines and global outreach programs.
Money raised through the Memphis Marathon represents a significant portion of the $2 million donated to St. Jude every day. This funding is vital in helping St. Jude continue its mission of saving kids’ lives.
Why is fundraising so important for St. Jude?
Fundraising is critically important for St. Jude for two key reasons:
1. St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility. Everything St. Jude does is completely free of charge for patients and families. This includes treatment, travel, housing and food. St. Jude even pays for funeral expenses if a child dies. This policy eliminate financial barriers to accessing treatment.
2. St. Jude’s clinical trials and research projects are expensive. It costs approximately $2.4 million per day to run St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude needs continuous funding to keep its doors open for patients and support groundbreaking research into cures.
While St. Jude treats patients from all 50 states and around the world, most of its funding comes from individual donors rather than large government grants. Grassroots community fundraising events like the Memphis Marathon provide an essential stream of donations.
As long as kids keep getting cancer and other deadly diseases, St. Jude will need support from generous donors to push toward cures. Fundraising runs like the Memphis Marathon help make St. Jude’s mission possible.
What is St. Jude Heroes?
St. Jude Heroes is the fundraising program specifically for St. Jude Memphis Marathon participants. Runners and walkers pledge to raise funds for St. Jude leading up to the event in December.
When registering for the Marathon Weekend, participants can join the St. Jude Heroes program. They set up a personalized fundraising page and reach out to friends and family members for donations. Some key components of St. Jude Heroes include:
- Fundraising milestones such as $500, $1,000, $5,000+ with incentives like race shirts, medal charms and VIP experiences
- Top Heroes who raise the most receive special recognition and awards
- Fundraising guidance, sample messages, promotional materials and other resources
- Opportunities to get fundraising support from St. Jude staff
In 2022, over 12,000 St. Jude Heroes collectively raised nearly $12 million for St. Jude through the marathon program. The top Heroes fundraiser was Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris who raised over $275,000.
Many Heroes are St. Jude parents, kids and family members motivated to give back after their experience with St. Jude. They share their stories and rally their communities around the Heroes fundraising challenge.
What charity teams and groups participate?
In addition to individuals, many charity teams and groups fundraise through the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. Some of the top charity teams over the years include:
- St. Jude Red Frog Team – St. Jude employees and partners (~1,300 members)
- Mighty Milers – Daily news team in Memphis (~150 members)
- Team RMHC – Ronald McDonald House Charities supporters
- Team Mexico – St. Jude supporters from Mexico
- Team Signup – Memphis tech firm employees
Charity teams often have very committed members who aim to be at the top of the fundraising leaderboard. Many participants join charity teams for camaraderie, accountability and fundraising guidance. Teams will host fundraising events together and show up on race day in coordinated outfits.
In addition to the teams above, hundreds of groups like corporate teams, church groups, civic organizations, sports teams and more get involved each year. Participating as a charity team can help amplify fundraising reach and impact for St. Jude.
What are some interesting facts about the marathon?
The St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend is full of inspiring stories and interesting facts such as:
- A team of 300 St. Jude employees volunteer to organize and run the Marathon Weekend.
- Country artist Phillip Sweet from Little Big Town headlined the marathon concert in 2019.
- The largest St. Jude Heroes charity team is the Red Frog Team with over 1,300 members.
- In 2021, participants ranged in age from 1 to 89 years old.
- The marathon course winds through famous Memphis attractions including Beale Street, Sun Studio and Elvis Presley Boulevard.
- Virtual participation options were added in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- A special St. Jude patient-designed medal is unveiled each year.
From music to entertainment to inspiring patient stories, the St. Jude Memphis Marathon weekend creates memorable experiences for participants. The event continues to enhance the vibrancy and culture of Memphis each year while doing good for kids fighting cancer and other deadly diseases.
What is the future vision for the event?
The St. Jude Memphis Marathon continues to grow and evolve each year. Some future plans for the event include:
- Attracting 25,000+ participants annually
- Expanding virtual participation options
- Adding a St. Jude patient ambassador program
- Increasing runner diversity and accessibility
- Integrating more entertainment and activities
- Providing new runner perks and amenities
- Rolling out a mobile app and enhanced social features
The long-term vision is to take the event to new heights as a world-class marathon experience, all for an incredible cause. While continuing to honor its Memphis roots, the event aims to increase national and global reach to get more people involved supporting St. Jude.
After 20 years of growth and evolution, the brightest days are still ahead for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend. The event will continue to lead the way in charity running while accelerating progress in the fight against childhood cancer and other deadly diseases.
Conclusion
The St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend stands as the hospital’s largest annual fundraising event. What started as a small Memphis race has now transformed into a major running festival raising over $13 million a year for St. Jude’s lifesaving mission. Participants ranging from community members to charity teams come together each December for an inspiring and unforgettable two days supporting kids with cancer. After 20 successful years, the event is poised for continued innovation and growth as the premier charity running experience. The St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend will continue to run for triumph over childhood disease and deliver hope for patients and their families.