Last weekend, 1800 runners made their way through the Peoria area, from
Runners coming down Western past mile 10
downtown Peoria, up the Main Street hill, through Bradley, through the West Bluff, into the East Bluff and back down town, all for the kids at St. Jude. Not only were there 1800 runners, but a dozen Paralympic competitors who did the 26.2 mile trek by pushing themselves with their arms. Many gold and silver medalists from around the globe came to compete in the RiverCity Marathon. It was a huge success and plans are already being made for next year. Those at Running Central are taking suggestions of things that could better the run and are also trying to reduce chaos. Adam White has been amazing throughout this entire process, dealing with those who became angry, paying for the Police Officer’s overtime, and ensuring the safety of every running. Despite being called Satan, Adam stayed completely professional.
More runners down Western including the marathon runners, the relay runners, and the 25K runners
Mike serving as some comic relief to the runners at Mile 20
AmeriCorps members spent around six hours helping out this past weekend. Rebecca and her boyfriend, Mike
Mike being a traffic cone at Mile 20 on Forrest Hill
helped at an intersection by Rebecca’s house and mile marker ten and then came over to mile 20 and joined Natalie, Julie, Julie’s kids, John, Alisha, Shaquita, Kiona, Kiona’s boyfriend, and the runners from St. Jude Memphis to Peoria Run Motorhome blue 12. The group passed out water and candy to the 200 marathon runners and continued to cheer them on for the most difficult part of the run.
Although the terrain was rough, the Main Street hill was brutal, and the heat and humidity were at their highest, the first RiverCity Marathon was a success! Thank you again to all those who helped and supported St. Jude!
PeoriaCorps 