NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More than 25,000 runners lined up in Nashville today to run the St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll marathon, half marathon, 10K, or 5K.
The race raised more than $18 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
This was the 26th year the city has hosted the race, an event that brings the city to a near stop so thousands of runners can line up to start. The marathon brings runners and their support systems from all across the country.
"The boom of tourism in the city, everyone is here at our restaurants and hotels and taking advantage of what Nashville has to offer," MNPD Chief Drake said. "When they come here one time, they want to come back over and over and over again."
Supporters I spoke to said they chose this race for a reason.
"I'm cheering on my sister and she's trying to qualify for Boston," Danyell Minier said. "I'm from Michigan, she's from Florida, so we met in the middle."
"I am here supporting my boyfriend, JD," Desiree De La Rosa. "He is doing his first marathon."
With multiple hilly stretches, the running community knows the Nashville marathon is a tough one, which makes support from Music City that much more meaningful.
"She runs a lot of miles for this so I can stand out here and cheer her on," Minier said.
"It's easy to get down on yourself," De La Rosa said. "So to be able to cheer him up and say, 'You got this, you got this,' it means a lot to me. I'm just excited to be here to cheer him on."
That support from strangers or loved ones is what makes all the difference between hitting the wall and crossing the finish line.
"It's a very big milestone — the first marathon," De La Rosa said.
"The whole course, the energy is enormous. The music, the crowds, people coming out on their front lawn just cheering us," Stan Linton.
"The friendships, people are coming together, hugging each other," Drake said.
"This is great to put on for the running community and happy to be a part of it," Linton said.
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