How it all began...

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 that has raised over $13.6 million for St. Jude kids.

Because not everyone can participate in the more rigorous Memphis to Peoria Run, auxiliary runs were started from communities throughout Illinois. 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.

Started by long-time Bloomington-Normal St. Jude Runners Jack Stone, Dominic & Kate Lang,
Sara Faber and Jim Williamson; along with Jack’s wife Ginger and Jim’s wife Heather;  the Washington Run is the newest and will be ran in 1-2 mile legs.  Each leg is ran at a ten minute per mile pace so that no one is left behind and we run as a group.  There are runners on the road the entire time and you can do as little or as many legs as you want.