I am 48 years young.  My wife Paula and son Andrew have also participated in the St Jude Run for 2 years.  This will be our third year.  Probably my most favorite part of being with the Quincy to Peoria Run team is just knowing that what we are doing will help so many. I have many fond memories from the past two runs and I've met some really interesting people in the process.

I am a Senior Facilities Manager for Harris Corporation.  We have lived in Quincy since 1980.  I ran track and cross country in high school and at Western Illinois University, took a quarter century off and started up again 2.5 years ago.  I have coached cross country at Quincy Notre Dame High School for seven years and plan to do so again this fall.

Our niece, Rhiannon Poehlman was a patient at St Jude.  She had a rare brain tumor.  We'll not forget the care and compassion they provided to Rhiannon and her family during her treatments at the Hospital.  I have found that it is very easy to raise money for St. Jude (even at the last moment as we did last year!).   Just start with family, then friends and co-workers.  Before you know it you will have exceeded the goal.

St. Jude is a cause in which I deeply believe.  I just hope that someday the efforts of my family and those of everyone involved in the St. Jude family will lead to a cure to the illness that claimed our niece and to other illnesses affecting children for which there is no cure.

The thought of participating in a event like this intrigued me.  You've got to be kind of nutty to want to run around the clock!  But it's easy when you consider what the kids you are running for are enduring on a grander scale. Until these runs I had never gone out on a 1-3 mile run with a slice of pizza in one hand and a sports drink in the other!  Running the legs from 10-4am to me is the best time to run. Some people take downtime during this period.  Not me.  I want to log in the miles!  I like the cool nights and the sounds of the country (and the stereo) while I run. Another cool part of the runs is the greetings we receive as we pass through communities.  People along our routes have been really kind and supportive of us.   

The St. Jude run has been a unique experience for me.  I've completed two 24 hour relays done exclusively on the track.  This is a 27 hour relay where you can do as much or as little as you like (and that is individual specific).  Everybody does their own thing and none of us are competing, just running (or jogging) for a very good cause.  This is a fundraiser, not a race, so there is no pressure to being a "top" runner.  We run as fast as the slowest person in our group and that's just fine!  We're all running for those who can't.