Background Information

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.