It’s the morning of my first half marathon. I dress quietly in a dark hotel room. Lacing up my sneakers, I eat a cold pop tart. I should have packed my toaster. My husband holds my hands in the back of the Uber as we ride silently to downtown Memphis. I’m nervous. I stare aimless out the window at the passing buildings. My only focus is making it to the starting line. Missing the start of the race has been one of the many fears I’ve had during marathon training. It’s still dark out. Only street lights and buildings light our way. The sun hasn’t risen yet, but downtown Memphis is buzzing with race day festivities. People of all ages dressed in brightly colored attire. You can distinguish a support person from a runner by looking at the types of shoes they are wearing. After weeks of training, St. Jude Marathon weekend is finally here.

Thousands of runners gather to run a marathon, half marathon, 10k, or 5k, all in support of St. Jude Children’s hospital. The course takes me through downtown Memphis, past historic landmarks, right through the campus of St. Jude Hospital. Spectators waiting along the way have so much energy I can’t help but smile from the start. I try to read every sign, high-five as many people as I can, and just soak in the race. It’s obvious that this weekend is a much-loved event in Memphis. The city shows up and shows out.

When I reach the St. Jude Hospital campus my breath hitches in my chest. Patients and families are lined up. Children of all ages are wrapped in blankets. They stand, sit in wheelchairs, or are held in their parents’ arms. They smile wide at me. This race is for them. I am running for them. They are out here to see me. My heart just wants to explode. I slow my pace and give high five and hugs. I shed tears behind my sunglasses. This isn’t just any other run. It means so much more.

There is some criticism with entering the World Major Marathons with a charity bib. Why? Some feel that charity runners have not earned their spot because they didn’t meet the qualifying cut-off times. They feel these runners are not “real” runners, at least not “marathon quality” runners. I like to believe that it’s a small group of people who feel like this. I have found the running community as a whole to be welcoming and supportive. They welcome everyone no matter what their distance or pace is. Besides, 26.2 miles is still 26.2 miles no matter if you run it in 3 hours or in 6 hours. It’s still a long way to run.

I knew I would never meet the qualifying times for a World Major Marathon. My average pace is around 11:00-11:30 minutes per mile. The fastest pace I can sustain for about 6 miles is around 9:30/mile. It took me 5:30:13 to run my first marathon. I knew the only way I could enter a major marathon was by raising money for charity. The alternative was relying on the lottery.

The first time I ran for St. Jude Children’s Hospital was in December 2022. I chose to raise money for the half marathon in Memphis. It holds a special place in my heart. I don’t reside far from Memphis, and St. Jude has a pretty phenomenal reputation. I was in nursing school when I first toured their facility. I was blown away by their approach in caring for children. I walked away a changed person that day and decided I would like to work there. After I graduated nursing school and started working, I realized quickly that my passion was in critical care nursing. It takes a special person to be able to work with children, and I knew my limits. My heart just couldn’t handle it. Still, my love for St. Jude didn’t change. It only shifted. If I couldn’t work there I would support them through donations.

St. Jude is dedicated to treating children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. They are leading the way in childhood cancer research. Families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, food, or housing. Since opening in 1962, St. Jude has pushed the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% within the U.S. Donations help aid in cutting-edge treatment not covered by medical insurances. It’s a special place that is changing lives everyday. While I might not have a personal story of how St. Jude changed my life, I am a mom. A mom that knows when your child is sick nothing in this world matters until they are better. Every child deserves to be healthy, every child deserves a fighting chance. I choose to run for St. Jude to raise donations and to spread awareness. So I might be able to give just one child that chance.

In the words of St. Jude’s founder Danny Thomas, “No child should die in the dawn of life.”

To donate on my behalf for St. Jude click the link below:

http://fundraising.stjude.org/goto/Aimee_Runs

To learn more about St. Jude and their mission to save children visit:

https://www.stjude.org