One of the longest running traditions in Chattanooga will continue Wednesday evening, but with a significant change.
For the first 35 years of its existence, the Karen Lawrence Run had "for St. Jude" attached to its title. The 36th running of the New Year's Eve event will be for the local Ronald McDonald House Charities.
The Lawrence family made the switch this year after considering it for some time. And they still love St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the work it did for Karen and has done for so many others in the Chattanooga area and throughout the world, but their connection to the Ronald McDonald House has been much deeper and closer to home.
"My mom has volunteered there 25 years, and when she would be keeping my kids they went there with her. They've never been to St. Jude, but they grew up at the Ronald McDonald House," said Mike Lawrence, Karen's older brother who committed last year to serve as race director for another 15 years. "We were at St. Jude (with Karen) for 22 months. We've been involved with Ronald McDonald House for 25 years."
Karen's twin, Kim, lives in Knoxville and volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House there for a while. And the family felt Karen would be all for the switch. She died of acute lymphocytic leukemia at age 11, three months after the initial St. Jude race.
Interestingly, the Lawrences became friends with Jane Kaylor, the president and CEO of RMH Charities of Greater Chattanooga, when her daughter was a St. Jude patient at the same time as Karen in the late 1970s.
"Some of the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House have children who are cancer patients, so we'll still be helping (the original cause)," Mike Lawrence said. "The money we raise from our race will be enough to cover the (RMH) overhead for a month. Our $35-, $38-, $40,000 is very little to St. Jude, but it will be huge for the Ronald McDonald House."
Phyllis and Larry Lawrence are in their 70s now but still very active in organizing the race honoring their daughter, who suggested a St. Jude fundraiser and who joined then-Mayor Pat Rose as ceremonial starters for the inaugural run in 1979. That one started at midnight on Dec. 31.
"If they can do it that long, I can too," Mike Lawrence said of his parents. "And my children will be the ones to pick it up.
"It's like we haven't lost her if we keep doing it. For three months every year, from October through December, we get to turn our focus back to Karen. It's like we haven't lost her if we keep doing it. Plus it's one of the oldest events in Chattanooga -- it's older than Riverbend. It's hard to stop something like that."
One of the most gratifying aspects of the annual race, Mike said, is seeing elementary school classmates of Karen and continuing to take part -- with their children now, in some cases.
The race regularly has a large percentage of walk-up entries, but the total has been more than 600 the "last 10 to 15 years," Mike noted. It was nearly 740 last year.
"We've been blessed with the weather," he said. "We've had a few snow flurries, but we've never had to run in the rain. And it looks like it's not going to rain this year, either. It's supposed to be a little chilly, but runners like that."
Lawrence praised the cooperation through the years from the Chattanooga Police Department -- Sgt. Austin Garrett is the special-events coordinator -- now-retired Becky Roberts and others from the Development Resource Center and Teresa Wade and the staff at the downtown Sports Barn, which hosts the event and opens its facilities to all the runners.
The 4.2-mile race starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday with the 2-mile junior racers and fun run/walk participants leaving right behind the competitive group. Registration will be held from 4 to 6 p.m.; the fee is $35.
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.