St. Jude Country Music Marathon

(Photo : Wikimedia Commons)
Nashville

2014 marks a very special anniversary for the St. Jude Country Music Marathon & 1/2 Marathon ... this year marks the event's 15th anniversary!

The marathon started out in 1999 with only about 7500 runners. As the 15 year mark approaches, that number has gone up to over 30,000 runners who participate each year to raise money and awareness for St. Jude. In 2014, the 4-day event will kick off on Thursday, April 24, with a Health & Fitness Expo at Nashville Music City Center. Held both Thursday and Friday, the free Expo will feature over 80 exhibitors who will be offering free samples while showcasing the latest in running gear, sports apparel and health and nutritional information. Friday night, participants can join the fun at the St. Jude Heroes Pasta Party Songwriters Night. Saturday is race day for the mini-marathon, the wheelchair and marathon and 1/2 marathon and the regular marathon and 1/2 marathon. Sunday is the day for KiDS ROCK Nashville (a non-timed, non-competitive event for children in grades K – 7) and the big St. Jude Heroes Post Race Brunch (held at John Rich’s house).

The running is hard work, but worthwhile, the cause can't be beat and the entertainment makes it all fun. Live bands will be performing a variety of music from alternative, classic and punk rock to blues, jazz and soul along each mile of the race course. The artist who will perform the headliner concert on race day hasn't been named yet, but you can bet it will be a biggee as previous headliners have been Billy Currington, Brad Paisley, Craig Morgan, Martina McBride, Montgomery Gentry, Phil Vassar, Rodney Atkins, Sara Evans and John Rich. All marathon, 1/2 marathon, mini and kids participants will gain free entry with their race number and extra tickets for those who aren't running can be purchased for $30.00 each.

This year will bring a new twist to the popular marathon ... a slightly different course with a new starting point. This year the race won't start at Centennial Park. Instead, runners will hear the starting gun a mile further into downtown on Lower Broadway. Organizers say it'll be more of a loop layout around the city with various hills that will be a little easier on the legs and give a bigger view of the beauty of the city.

Signing up is easy and through the end of February, will only run you between $65 and $125 per runner (depending on which race you sign up for). Those who want to go all in can be St. Jude Heroes. Heroes commit to raising between $500 and $2500 for St. Judes and not only do they race for free, they also get other great goodies like training tech shirts, race day singlets, gift certificates and more. With a goal of raising $1.9 million (the amount it costs to run the hospital for a single day), every dollar definitely makes a difference in the life of a sick child.

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