For 20-year old St. Joseph resident Keely Smith, running is more than just a hobby. Smith has been running competitively since fifth-grade.
“I started running in fifth grade for the middle school team here under coach McD. I really loved it and had a good time. I kept running through high school and decided I wanted to continue at the collegiate level.”
Smith currently attends Maryville University.
“I’m in their direct entry physical therapy program. I’m also on the track and cross country teams.”
Smith is back in St. Joseph for the summer. She’s channeling her love for running into a way to help others by participating in the upcoming St. Jude Run.
The St. Jude Run is a 100-mile run from Champaign to Peoria. The goal is to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
“Every runner has a $1000 commitment, and we try to go above that, too, with fundraisers around the community.”
The Champaign-Urbana run is hoping to raise $30,000 for St. Jude.
Each runner has their own personal fundraising page. Aside from online donations, the runners also participate in other fundraising around the community.
“We will be doing can shaking at Sam’s Club and Walmart and possibly a few other locations.”
They also collect money the day of the run, before it starts and along the route.
“The day of the run about an hour before we head out we’ll go into the downtown Champaign area and collect donations beforehand.”
“As you get closer to Peoria, there’s a lot more people that know about the run and they will be out there donating money.”
“We have one segment called Jess’s Mile dedicated to a former patient who unfortunately passed away. They used to run by the farm of a family friend, so those friends do a fundraiser and donate the money to us.
“As we’re heading toward that town there’s usually people out there and it’s really cool to see, especially little kids who are getting so excited to hand the money to the runners. It’s a really awesome part of the run.”
Smith is excited to participate in the run again.
‘This is my second year. I did it last year and had a lot of fun and decided I wanted to come back.”
“My favorite part was just knowing the cause we were doing it for. Also, as we got closer to Peoria, hearing all the stories from former patients and seeing the kids on the road, just the energy surrounding the hospital is what really had me coming back this year.”
The St. Jude Run kicks off on Friday, August 2nd in downtown Champaign.
“The run is August 2nd through the 3rd. We start at 6 pm in downtown Champaign and we’ll run by the restaurants in that area so people can see us and know what we’re doing. We usually get into Peoria Saturday afternoon around 4:00 pm.”
The 100-mile run is split into about 37 segments, where the entire team takes part in completing different segments.
“They split it up into anywhere between a mile and a half to six-mile legs.
“We always have at least two people running at a time.
“We like to do fun themes for some of the legs to keep it fun and to keep us awake.”
A bus drives ahead and waits for the runners at the next checkpoint. It carries the coolers that are stocked with drinks and food for the runners.
There are also vans for runners to sleep in, since sleeping on the bus can be difficult.
“We have a bus from Peoria Charter and people who aren’t running are either on the bus or in the sleep van.”
Once the runners get into Peoria, they wait for the team from Memphis, Tennessee to arrive.
“We’ll wait for the Memphis team to get in which is usually around 6:00. We’ll all head into the telethon and have dinner and do the check presentations.”
Smith found out about the run from some training partners, and she decided last year was the perfect time to participate.
This year, she’s excited to return and run with some of the same people from last year. There’s even one other runner from St. Joseph.
For Smith, running is more than just exercise.
“I like how freeing it is. It’s a really good way for me to relieve some stress. There’s just something about being able to push your body to that limit that I find really awesome.”
“I like that you’re just competing against yourself.”
And with the St. Jude Run, she can combine her love of running with a way to give to others.
It’s not too late to get involved with the St. Jude Run.
“Right now we have a little over 20 runners, but we’re always looking for more runners. If anyone is wanting to run, they can still sign up.”
“If you don’t want to run, but you still want to help with the run, they always need drivers, too, to drive the vans that are going behind the runners.”
For more information about how to get involved, visit the St. Jude Runs website for the Champaign-Urbana run. There is also a Facebook page for the Champaign-Urbana group.
From that page, you can register to run, donate, or get in contact with the coordinator, Anessa Parisi, for more information on volunteering or corporate sponsorships.
To donate directly to Keely Smith’s fundraising page, click here.
When children are treated at St. Jude Children’s hospitals, families never receive a bill. More than 75% of operating costs come from generous donors.
According to the St. Jude Runs website, “since its 1982 inception, the St. Jude Runs has raised more than $56,207,879 to further the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”
