St. Jude Champaign/Urbana to Peoria Run

About the St. Jude Champaign/Urbana to Peoria Run

In 1997, two "angels" stepped forward in the Champaign/Urbana area to lead the St. Jude Run there. This is one of the few overnight runs and covers 100+ miles.

They began asking friends and business associates to get involved in the Run, so that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital could continue giving hope to families whose lives have been torn apart by childhood cancer. This Run continues to grow because of dedicated volunteers like Jack and Annessa Parisi and more recently, Amy Fuller, all from Champaign/Urbana.

2011 will be the 14th year for the Champaign/Urbana to Peoria run. Our run has grown to include runners from Mattoon, Peoria, Bloomington, and other surrounding areas.

In 2010 we had a team of 40 runners and raised $31,000! We're hoping to make 2011 even better!

If you're interested in running or volunteering please send us an email.

About the St. Jude Run

The St. Jude Memphis to Peoria Run, the idea of Co-founders Mike McCoy and Gene Pratt, began with the idea of a way to raise money for their favorite charity, St. Jude.

The concept of driving to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis and then running back, relay-style, to the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate in Peoria, has come to be one of the foremost charity running events in the nation.

Each year since 1982, runners have paid for the honor to participate in this unique, 465-mile event. Because not everyone can participate in the more rigorous Memphis to Peoria Run, auxiliary runs were started from communities throughout Illinois. Employees, doctors, and nurses from the St. Jude Hospital in Memphis also participate in this event along with runners from cities like Chicago, Macomb, Bloomington/Normal, LaSalle/Peru, Springfield, Lincoln, Champaign/Urbana, Galesburg, Canton, Quad Cities, Elmwood, Macomb, Pekin, St. Louis and the Tri-County. Each of these cities send runners to Peoria to meet the Memphis to Peoria Runners and help kick off the St. Jude Telethon held in Peoria, Illinois, each year in August.