FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brian Shelton and Candice Fredericks are Top Finishers in Sold-Out
2011 St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend
Philanthropic Race Raises Record-Breaking $3.9 million for St. Jude
MEMPHIS, TENN. (December 5, 2011) – Tennessee residents Brian Shelton of
Cookeville, and Candice Fredericks of Collierville were the top male and
female finishers, respectively, in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend on
Saturday, Dec. 3. Shelton finished the 26.2-miles course with a time of
2:38:16 while Fredericks finished in 3:11:22. Proceeds from all races
benefited St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, one of the world's
premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and
other deadly childhood diseases.
Shelton, a first-time marathon winner, had a little extra motivation to get
to the finish line. "There were times when I wanted to quit," he said. "But
then I thought about the kids and I kept going." Other winners from race
day included Natalie Solovyeva of St. Petersburg, Russia, as the top Half
Marathon female finisher with a time of 1:15:23, and Archie Barelkis of Oak
Forest, Ill., who finished as the top male Half Marathon winner with a time
of 1:08:42.
The sold-out St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend races welcomed more than
16,000 registrants and 200 families who participated in either the
Marathon, Half Marathon, the Memphis Grizzlies House 5K and the St. Jude
Memphis Family Race and Kids Marathon.
The 2011 events raised nearly $1 million more than the 2010 race weekend.
Through the St. Jude Heroes program and event registration, so far this
year a record-breaking $3.9 million has been raised for the hospital.
"We are at $3.9 million now, but we are still counting funds," said St.
Jude event coordinator Erin Martin. "As our St. Jude Heroes return home
after completing their race, we expect to see even more donations filter in
over the next several weeks."
Of the total race registrants, nearly 5,000 were St. Jude Heroes, a special
group who raise funds for St. Jude by securing donations from family,
friends and co-workers. Runners will be challenged to do it all again as
St. Jude Heroes and can register now for the St. Jude Country Music
Marathon and Half Marathon on April 28, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn.
Race results are available at www.stjudemarathon.org. The St. Jude Memphis
Marathon Weekend is presented by Juice Plus+® and is a collaborative effort
between St. Jude and the Memphis Runners Track Club. Next year the hospital
will celebrate 50 years of finding cures that have saved the lives of
countless children. The 2012 races will be held Saturday, December 1.
The St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend is one of the few major marathons in
the country to benefit a single charity. Events like the marathon are
important to St. Jude because the hospital relies primarily on the public's
generosity to support its lifesaving mission. No family ever pays St. Jude
for anything – St. Jude covers the cost of treatment, travel, lodging and
meals for patients and a family member.
To learn more visit www.stjude.org.
About the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend
The 2011 St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend is celebrating 10 years of
supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and its fight against
childhood cancer. Since 2002, the event has been produced in partnership
with the Memphis Runners Track Club and presenting sponsor Juice Plus and
now features a marathon, half marathon, the Memphis Grizzlies House 5K and
the St. Jude Memphis Family Race and Kids Marathon. Each year, a special
group of race participants called St. Jude Heroes raise additional funds
for the hospital by obtaining pledges from friends and family. Since its
inception, nearly $20 million has been raised through event proceeds and
the St. Jude Heroes program. For more information, visit
www.stjudemarathon.org.
About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its
pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other
life-threatening diseases. The hospital's research has helped push overall
survival rates for childhood cancer from less than 20 percent when the
institution opened to almost 80 percent today. It is the first and only
National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted
solely to children, and no family ever pays St. Jude for care. For more
information, go to www.stjude.org and follow St. Jude on
www.facebook.com/stjude and www.twitter.com/stjude.
About the presenting sponsor:
Juice Plus+® is an easy and inexpensive way to add nutrition from a wide
variety of fruits, vegetables and grains to your diet, every day. It
provides whole food based nutrition from 17 different fruits, vegetables
and grains in convenient capsule or chewable form.
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