St. Jude Heroes Run at The St. Jude Rock ‘N’ Roll Running Series Nashville Taking Place On April 22-23

April 13, 2023

- Sue Henderson to celebrate $500,000 fundraising milestone at St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville - Susy Meade to run for something bigger at the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville - Online registration for the 2023 St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Nashville remains open until Sunday, April 16 at www.runrocknroll.com/nashville-register; Registration will also be available onsite at the Health & Fitness Expo starting Thursday, April 20

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 13, 2023) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Approximately 25,000 registered runners including more than 1,500 St. Jude Heroes will converge on Nashville, Tenn. to participate in the 2023 St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series Nashville on April 22-23, 2023. As the race makes its return to the Music City it will feature St. Jude Heroes who will run for “something bigger”. St. Jude Heroes Suzy Meade from Nashville and Sue Henderson of Evansville, Indiana have fundraised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^® puts a reason behind their miles.

Hoosier Hero to celebrate $500,000 fundraising milestone at St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville

Sue Ellen Henderson of Evansville, Indiana, opened her email one day in 2011 and saw something on the computer screen that changed her life.

It was a note from her friend Bob Fodstad, who had just run in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon^® Weekend. She had donated to his fundraising event.

In his thank you letter to her, Fodstad described how it felt to run through the campus of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, past the coral-colored buildings, past two little girls in wheelchairs who were clearly going through treatment. They held up signs that said, “You’re my hero.”

Fodstad wrote about how he waved, blew them kisses and continued, but shortly after passing them, he had to stop running because he was so choked up that he couldn’t breathe. “Never in my life, before that or since, have I had a feeling like that,” wrote Fodstad.

The power of that mental image shook Henderson. She began to cry, thinking about those two little girls. She cries even now as she remembers it.

Before Fodstad had asked for a donation, Henderson hadn’t even realized St. Jude sponsored a marathon. But now that she did, she knew she needed to be part of it.

Twelve years later, her support for St. Jude through fitness events as a St. Jude Hero has become “my purpose in life.”

When she crosses the finish line at the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville event this year, she will have surpassed $500,000 in total funds raised for St. Jude, but it’s not an ending.

“All I can say is, ‘That’s the first half.’ I got another half in me, I think, before I quit,” said Sue Ellen. “So, I’d like to get to a million, but we’ll see. That’s my mission.”

The 60-year-old says she’s just getting started.

To read more of Sue’s story, visit, www.stjude.org/inspire/series/selfless/st-jude-rock-n-roll-nashville-sue-ellen-henderson.html

To Make the World a Better Place: How Nashville runner Susy Meade changed her relationship with running by putting a reason behind her miles.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital extraordinaire Susy Meade was 39 years old when she started running. “My mother loved to run,” recalls the now 52-year-old Office Administrator who lives in Nashville, Tenn. “I remember being 11 years old and her asking me to come with her. About a block in I’d say, ‘forget it, I’m going home!’”

There’s no stopping Meade now, as she and her husband Ed target numerous races, including Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Nashville this year. Over the course of many races (50 half marathons and four full marathons for her), Meade and her husband have raised over $50,000 for St. Jude through their racing efforts.

So how did Meade find this purpose, which she then shared with her husband? Back in 2014, Meade met a St. Jude ambassador at Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Las Vegas. Meade realized she wanted to run for something bigger, but was scared to “commit, ask for money, and the rejection.” She came home from Vegas and turned on a movie—only to realize the child in the movie was a patient at St. Jude Hospital. “I started crying. That was it,” she recalls.

It wasn’t an easy road, however. In February 2015, Meade broke her hip due to stress fracture complications and had emergency surgery. She did the Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville half marathon with a cane that April.

“Obviously it was my worst half ever, but it was an awesome experience,” she says. “Being at the back of the bus, so to speak, gave me the ability to look around at all kinds of people. The hand cyclists, and the visually impaired runners with their guides. It taught me to look around at the people I was running with. Whoever calls it a solo sport isn’t a runner. The camaraderie, the belief in the person next to you. The only person you’re competing against is the one in your head.”

Before the race, Meade’s doctor had told her to listen to my body. Meade’s husband piped up: “You don’t understand—she wants to do 13.1 miles this weekend.” The doctor said to her: “I hope you have a backup plan.” Meade responded: “There is no backup plan. I am running for kids with cancer. They don’t get to have a backup plan. Their whole life changes at the drop of a hat. There’s just no excuse. It’s running for something bigger than you could imagine or feel.”

To read more of Susy’s story, visit www.runrocknroll.com/news_article/show/1256220

For nine events, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^® is the official benefiting charity partner of the St. Jude Rock ‘n‘ Roll Running Series. It’s because of the generous support of the Nashville community, people across the region and country that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital continues to lead the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. To learn more and to become a St. Jude Hero, visit www.stjude.org.

Click here to become a St. Jude Hero! *Registration as a St. Jude Hero for St. Jude Rock ‘N’ Roll Nashville ends April 16, 2023, but there’s always time to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital*

Registering for your race as a St. Jude Hero means an online training program, race-day extras — from a St. Jude singlet to hotel accommodations, depending on your event and fundraising commitment — and possibly even entry into the most exclusive races in the world. You can also earn additional prizes based on how much you raise.

The St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Nashville will take place April 22-23, 2023, and it combines live music and entertainment with scenic routes that highlight Nashville’s historic and natural beauty. The St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Nashville offers distances for everyone including 1-Mile, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Marathon, plus a Doggie Dash and KiDS ROCK^® event. Nashville has long been a favorite stop on the best-in-class running series tour, welcoming global visitors amidst a strong hometown contingent who know how to show a good time. Participants will experience everything that Music City has to offer, including a legendary running tour of Nashville’s most famous locations such as Broadway, Music Row, The Gulch, 12 South, Nissan Stadium, and much more.

Registration for the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Nashville is open online until Sunday, April 16 by visiting, www.runrocknroll.com/nashville-register. Registration is also available onsite at the Health & Fitness Expo beginning Thursday, April 20.

For more information on St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Nashville, please visit www.runrocknroll.com/nashville. Media inquiries may be directed to press@runrocknroll.com.

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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.^® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

About Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series

The Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series is the world’s largest running series taking part in destination locations around the world every year. Established in 1998, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series simple idea of making running fun has transformed both the U.S. and global running landscape by infusing the course with live bands, cheer teams, and entertaining water stations, creating a block-party atmosphere for participants and spectators alike. Focused on running, music and community, race weekend kicks off with a free Health & Fitness Expo showcasing the latest in running gear, sports apparel, health and nutritional information and much more. Events culminate with an Encore Entertainment experience featuring eclectic musical artists from a variety of genres. With a goal of helping participants find the Beat in Their Feet™, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series has also featured some of the biggest names in music, with past performances including the likes of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, O.A.R., Aloe Blacc, Pitbull, Flo Rida, The Band Perry, Fitz and the Tantrums, the Goo Goo Dolls, Bret Michaels, Kesha, The Revivalists, Hunter Hayes, Capital Cities, and Matt Nathanson. Further information about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series can be found online at www.RunRocknRoll.com and follow @RunRocknRoll on all social platforms.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and City2Surf^®, UTMB^® World Series events including the Canyons Endurance Runs™ by UTMB^®, Tarawera Ultra by UTMB^® and Ultra-Trail Australia™ by UTMB^®, Epic Series™ mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events including Haute Route^®, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Catering to the full athlete experience, the company portfolio also includes FulGaz^® virtual cycling, the most realistic indoor riding experience connected fitness application aimed at preparing athletes for real-world events. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group.

About Advance

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, 1010data and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 17,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.