The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital have announced a new title partnership of the annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle event. The 2018 St Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon & ½ Marathon will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10, 2018.
St Jude is a national US children’s hospital with a global mission to find new and better treatments for childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. St Jude treats children from all 50 US states, including Washington, and around the world.
“Knowing Seattle is a community that values fitness and healthy living, we are thrilled to expand our relationship with our friends at the Roll ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series through this event,” said Richard Shadyac Jr, President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “This partnership presents a unique way for the Seattle community to rally around a common goal of curing childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”
Among the anticipated 19,000 participants for this year’s event in Seattle will be St Jude Heroes who have committed to fundraising for the hospital while they train.
Since the relationship began in January 2016, more than 24,000 St Jude Heroes have run in Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series races and raised US$9 million dollars for the patients of St Jude and their families. Support from events such as Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series has helped ensure families never receive a bill from St Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – ‘because the only thing a family should worry about is helping their child live’.
“We are excited to expand our partnership with St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in an impactful way within the Seattle market,” said Stuart Selig, Executive Vice President, North America Global Partnerships for IRONMAN, owner of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. “St. Jude offers a life-changing fitness program for our athletes who want to race for a reason, putting the heart into our Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series events with their St Jude Heroes program. This strategic partnership is an opportunity for Rock ‘n’ Roll and St. Jude to make a powerful impact on a community level in the fight against cancer.”
Now celebrating its 10th year, the St Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon & ½ Marathon features a marathon, half marathon, 5K as well as a Health and Fitness expo. Starting and finishing in the heart of Seattle Center – home of the Space Needle – the St Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon & ½ Marathon will have new courses for 2018, which will take runners through ‘some of the Emerald City’s best neighbourhoods’.
While taking in the natural beauty that the Pacific Northwest is known for, the organisers add that participants will experience better runner support and community engagement as they move along – to more music than ever with live bands performing along the course, new mile-markers that include speakers, themed water stations and race pacers who will be running with mobile speaker packs.
Runners will also have the opportunity to take on the Remix Challenge and earn three medals on race weekend by participating in the 5K run on Saturday, June 9 and the marathon or half marathon on Sunday, June 10.
