Time to set your mark! Early registration opens May 1 for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon® Weekend

MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Dec. 5, thousands of people will unite to fight the number one cause of death by disease for U.S. children ages 14 and younger.  Those eager to join the movement and help raise millions to support kids battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® can register for the 2015 St. Jude Memphis Marathon® Weekend, starting May 1.

Early registration opens Friday, May 1 at 10 a.m. CT for the marathon, half marathon and 5K. By making a fundraising commitment of $500, $1,000 or $2,500 by May 31, participants will automatically qualify to receive VIP race benefits and incentives like the chance to win a 2016 Ford Explorer, courtesy of Landers Ford.

Marathon participants who fundraise for the hospital are called St. Jude Heroes because they run for a reason – to help ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live.

Seventeen-year-old athlete-turned-patient Adam, who is actively undergoing treatment at the hospital, was diagnosed in 2014 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of pediatric cancer. Since becoming a patient, Adam and his friends and family have become one of the top 100 groups of supporters who run and raise money for St. Jude.

His family started Adam's Army, a St. Jude Heroes team that raised nearly $20,000 in less than six months. While Adam has been in treatment, he and his team have participated in various events, including last year's St. Jude Give thanks. Walk. and St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend Adam ran the 5K in the marathon, and then circled back to the Spirit Spot on the St. Jude campus to cheer on other members of his St. Jude Heroes team.

Last year, the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend raised $8 million, and created strong awareness for the St. Jude Heroes program. This year's event is expected to attract more than 20,000 participants in downtown Memphis. The St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend is one of the only major marathons where the funds raised go to a single charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

To learn more or register for the race as a St. Jude Hero, visit stjudemarathon.org.

About the St. Jude Memphis Marathon^® Weekend
The St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend is one of the only major marathons to support a single charity – that is, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®. Race participants called St. Jude Heroes have raised more than $42 million since the event's inception in 2002, so families never receive a bill from St. Jude for anything, so they can focus on helping their child live. Produced in partnership with the Memphis Runners Track Club and presenting sponsor Juice Plus+, the event features a marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5K, kids marathon and family fun run. To learn more, visit stjudemarathon.org.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other deadly diseases. St. Jude has the world's best survival rates for the most aggressive childhood cancers, and treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since we opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent in the next decade. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs we make, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org or following St. Jude on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.

About Juice Plus+^®
Juice Plus+ has been the presenting sponsor of the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend since 2002. With juice powder concentrates from 25 different fruits, vegetables and grains, Juice Plus+ is whole food based nutrition in an easy to take capsule or chewable form that helps bridge the gap between what you should eat and what you do eat every day. In addition to supporting the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend through monetary donations, Juice Plus+ hosts the Spirit Station at the 10-mile mark in front of the St. Jude Target House, where volunteers cheer on race participants with song and dance. Both St. Jude and Juice Plus+ are deeply invested in children's health. In support of children everywhere, Juice Plus+ created the Juice Plus+ Children's Foundation and Children's Health Study. To learn more about the Juice Plus+ Company mission of inspiring healthy living around the world visit www.JuicePlus.com.  

About Landers Ford
Landers Ford is the official vehicle of the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend. Early registrants could win a 2016 Ford Explorer, courtesy of Landers Ford. Registrants who enter as a Deluxe VIP ($500), Premium VIP ($1,000) or Elite VIP ($2,500) in the month of May will automatically be qualified to win. 

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SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital