A Short History
The first St. Jude Run was the idea of Peoria Sheriff Mike McCoy and Gene Pratt. The idea was to drive to Memphis where the main campus is located for St. Jude, then run a relay for the entire 465 miles back to Peoria. The inaugural Run kicked off in 1982. The St. Jude Runs website describes in greater detail just how important the Run has become since then.
One of the challenging aspects for the Champaign-Urbana St. Jude Run is that we are just far enough from Peoria that th annual summer event is not well known. In the surrounding communities near Peoria, St. Jude is a familiar name, and the Run is well-publicized with many supporters greeting the arrival of the runners.
We are determined to change that.
As awareness spreads, we hope to contribute even more from Champaign-Urbana, and we hope your visit to our site is another step in the process!
Jim Maloof
The beloved Mayor of Peoria was a friend of St. Jude founder, Danny Thomas. Jim was instrumental in helping Danny get St. Jude off the ground, and was the driving force to bring St. Jude Midwest Affiliate to Peoria.
Jim passed away January 19, 2013. He will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved "the Mayor."