In an effort to raise funds for Children's Hospital at Erlanger, 120 children in grades first through sixth will run the final mile in the Run for Miracles Series Nov. 12 at 7:30 a.m. in Fort Oglethorpe.
Chickamauga Battlefield Junior Miracle Marathon, Miracle Team Marathon Nov. 12Participants in the Junior Miracle Marathon will run a mile around Barnhardt Circle in Fort Oglethorpe.
At the same time, approximately 1,600 adults and teenagers will run in the Chickamauga Battlefield Full and Half Marathon. The Miracle Team in that race will also raise money for Children's Hospital at Erlanger.
Both events are being hosted by the Chattanooga Track Club.
"We hope to raise $50,000 for Children's Hospital at Erlanger," said Run for Miracles Series volunteer chair Mindy Sanders. "Children's Hospital admits 36,000 children annually and 3,500 stay overnight. The hospital helps children within a 120-mile radius."
She said she hopes to recruit more runners; 75 spots are left for adults and teenagers to take part in the Battlefield Marathon or Half Marathon. Adults start and finish at Barnhardt Circle, running through the Chickamauga Battlefield, turning around and coming back. She said one of the main race sponsors is Center for Sports Medicine where her husband Brett Sanders, a race participant, works.
Brett and Mindy Sanders' son, Children's Hospital of Erlanger's own miracle Colin, age 5, runs in the Run for Miracles Series.
"My son was 14 months old when he began having acid reflux that led doctors to find a tumor in his abdomen," said Sanders, who said she basically lived at Children's Hospital of Erlanger while he underwent treatment in 2008. "He had an aggressive neuroblastoma tumor. Ninety percent of cases spread, but because we were at Children's, they were able to diagnose it early and begin treatment. He has been in remission for two and a half years."
She said most parents don't want to leave their child's bedside while they are in the hospital. The Run for Miracles Series and Miracle Team runners are raising funds for renovations to patient rooms at Children's Hospital to make it feel more like home.
She said children don't give up and runners should help them battle cancer by raising funds for them. Children's Hospital at Erlanger will position posters of children the hospital has helped around the race course.
"The Chattanooga Track Club tries to get people out there running and healthy," said Sanders, a member of CTC.
She said Runner's World in 2010 named the Chickamauga Battlefield as one of the top 10 places to race in someone's lifetime. Junior Miracle Marathon children runners will complete their 25.2 miles before the race and final one mile at the race. Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon runners will complete 26.2 miles the day of the race and Half Marathon runners will complete 13.1 miles.