St. Jude Memphis Marathon raises over $12 million

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Saturday morning 20,000 eager runners descended upon downtown Memphis for the 21st annual St. Jude Memphis Marathon.

“It just doesn’t get any better,” said Rick Shadyac, the president and CEO of ALSAC, told Action News 5. “It’s a great day for the City of Memphis so I am super excited,” Shadyac added.

Shadyac also said they raised over $12 million this year. That money will support research and treatment at St. Jude to help children battling horrific diseases like cancer.

Curtis Callaway with Shaw Floors says St. Jude’s mission to children drives the company to get involved with the marathon nearly a decade ago. This year the Shaw team broke the St. Jude Memphis Marathon record for money raised by a single team— raising $450,000 for the kids at St. Jude.

“Our team has grown from 12 people, nine years ago to over 180 runners this year,” said Callaway. “It’s all about the kids at St. Jude and helping out the communities we are a part of.”

St. Jude isn’t the only beneficiary of the marathon weekend, either. The City of Memphis said that an estimated $30 million is expected to roll into the Bluff City from visitors from all 50 states and 175 countries around the world.

Team Irontex — a 30-person team from Texas— raised over $12,000 for St. Jude for the first time this year. They said their reason for coming was to mark a milestone for their friend who’s been five years cancer-free.

“She was cleared in September, five years since Leukemia,” said Irontex teammate Mary Forrest. “It came right around the corner and we were like yes we’ve gotta do this for kiddos,” Forrest added.

Team Irontex Captain and cancer survivor Poonam Thapa said she’s living her life to the fullest, and she only wants the same for the patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“I feel very strong and I want every kid to be as strong as I am so they can run the 26.2 when they want to,” Thapa told Action News 5.

At the 2022 St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend, Mo’Ath Alkhawaldeh of Princeton, New Jersey crosses the finish line as the top male marathon finisher and Caroline Peyton of Memphis, Tennesee crosses the finish line as the top female marathon finisher according to the St. Jude Marathon results.

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