44Student Life RUN WITH Students train for months preparing for the St. Jude Marathon weekend in Memphis. St. Jude Children Hospital hosted a marathon weekend every December, including the 2023 marathon weekend on December 2nd. The Saturday morning consisted of a 5k, 10k, a half-marathon, and a full marathon. Thousands of participants travelled from all over the Memphis area to partake in this busy race weekend. Amongst the racers was a multitude of Harding students participating in the races. Many students spent the semester training with friends to participate in the half-marathon, which consisted of 13.1 miles around the city of Memphis. Some of these students included senior Zane Edwards, a participant in the half-marathon, who ran with a group of friends. “ I did the St. Jude half because I heard my friends were doing it and I knew I wanted to run,” said Edwards. While Edwards and many others completed the 13.1 halfmarathon, some students decided to conquer the 26.2 miles marathon. Senior Chase Preston had completed the half-marathon is years past, but for the 2023 race, Preston trained and completed the full marathon. “Running the marathon was something that my friends and I decided that we wanted to do after doing the half marathon last year,” said Preston. “The preparation process wasn’t too bad but waking up on Saturdays for long runs was pretty brutal.” Preston spent months training for the marathon. Like Preston, other students spent time training for their race. Senior Jenna Wesley, a long time runner and marathon weekend participant, spoke to how her background affected her personal training process. “The preparation process was based on a three month training plan I made after doing lots of research,” said Wesley. “I grew up running too, so I already knew about the importance of training and being consistent with it. It was really fun getting back into running shape and having a specific goal to work towards throughout the process.” Wesley enjoyed training with goals, and it felt natural to her as she had train in the past. Each training journey was different for each runner. Preston focused on longer runs on weekends to ear stamina, and Wesley emphasized small goals and consistency. Senior Reese Pettijohn had his own plan, and spoke on the emphasis of his training experience for the race. ”The preparation was essentially making the time to run consistently, and having a goal in mind when you start training,” said Pettijohn. “I had previously only done the half marathon last year in Memphis, and I wanted to try and do the full thing.” While running marathons definitely took a physical toll on the runners, the actual race day experience seemed to also create an unexpected emotional experience. The St. Jude marathon weekend raised money for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The hospital’s goal is to insure no family had to pay for their child’s cancer treatment. The weekend raised money for that cause and had many of the St. Jude patients outside cheering on the runners. “The marathon itself was very emotional, and very worth it. It was the most challenging day of my life,” said Pettijohn. “I really respect St. Jude for all the work they do for children, and the struggle of running a marathon is minute compared to kids battling cancer. I think I would do another marathon, as it really puts a lot of things into perspective when you experience the support from the community in Memphis.” Wesley also spoke on the emotional toll and the overall environment of running the race. Members on the Memphis community lined the race course and cheered on the runners, thanking them for their support and dedication to the children of the St. Jude Hospital. “Everyone was so encouraging the whole time and the actual cause that the race supports is so good too,” said Wesley. “There were definitely high and low points throughout, and I don’t think I could have gotten through it without the people I ran with. I was also always looking forward to seeing my friends and family cheering us on.” The St. Jude marathon weekend has proven to be an important component to the funding of St. Jude Children’s Hospital and their mission. The accomplishment that each student felt after finishing the race was obviously not just one of personal gain,but of self sacrifice. Each student embarked on a task that pushed them mentally and physically. Rather it was running the 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or the full marathon, Harding students got to participate in something bigger than their own training. They were able to run for the cause of child cancer, and get to support the mission of St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Written By Bailey Coffman “I really respect St. Jude for all the work they do for children, and the struggle of running a marathon is minute compared to kids battling cancer” -Reese Pettijohn
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