By KELLY WILSON
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Participants in the fifth annual St. Jude Quincy to Peoria Run are gathering tonight to celebrate another successful year.
A total of 62 runners and volunteers participated in the run July 31 and Aug. 1, raising more than $57,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and its Midwest Affiliate in Peoria.
"We're grateful for the dedication of our runners and volunteers and the generosity of donors and corporate sponsors," said Rick Meehan, run coordinator.
Meehan was particularly thrilled by the number of new runners who joined the Quincy St. Jude Run this year.
Twenty first-time runners were recruited.
Of the 42 runners/volunteers who had participated in previous runs, eight have been involved all five years.
While the bulk of participants come from Quincy, Hannibal, Mo., and the surrounding area, some travel from Macomb, Ipava, Springfield, Chicago -- even Venice, Calif. -- to participate.
The 130-mile trek from Quincy to Peoria takes a little less than 24 hours. The runners run relay-style in one- to three-mile segments.
Meehan said one emotional stop this year was on U.S. 24 near Little America, where a one-mile segment of the run, which includes a steep incline, was dedicated as "Paul Arndt Hill."
Arndt participated in the run in 2007 and 2008, tackling the challenging hill both times. He died in December after a brief battle with cancer at age 67.
A sign has been placed at the location in memory of Arndt, and runners stopped to remember him with a moment of silence.
"Paul was well-known in the running community, particularly for his role in the Bridge the Gap to Health race," Meehan said. "He also was passionate about helping the children of St. Jude and was an inspiration to all those who participated in the run with him."
St. Jude is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world.
No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay.
"St. Jude is the place where children receive the best and most advanced care ... and we believe this is the place where new advances will be made in the hopes that one day children's lives will not be threatened by these diseases," Meehan said.
The Quincy run was among 20 St. Jude Runs this year that have contributed $2.3 million to the hospital. The runs are held in conjunction with the annual St. Jude Telethon, which this year brought in more than $5.3 million.
The Quincy run has raised more than $221,500 in five years. Because of corporate sponsors, 100 percent of the money raised by runners goes directly to St. Jude.
Each runner is required to raise at least $500, but Meehan says that most raise more. The average amount raised per runner is about $750.
This year's top fundraiser was Liz Pyse of Palmyra, Mo., with $3,410 in contributions.
-- kwilson@whig.com/221-3391
ON THE WEB
Quincy St. Jude Run:
* www.quincystjuderun.org
Other St. Jude Runs:
* www.stjuderuns.org
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital:
* www.stjude.org
