NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Many runners are gearing up for the annual St. Jude's Rock N Roll Marathon.
For some participants, there's a deeper meaning behind why they run.
Christine Mayfield says her reason goes back to the Las Vegas music festival shooting in 2017. She and her family escaped with their lives, but many others did not.
Since then, she decided to run 58 marathons in honor of the people who were lost.
"58 marathons for the 58 angels," she explained. "When my family got back, we very quickly realized how blessed we were and that there were 58 angels that did not come back from the concert like we did."
She explained she runs with a group of girls, and together they talk about the life of one victim during each marathon.
"Sometimes there are tears. Sometimes it will just hit me out of nowhere...and I pray at every mile marker," said Christine.
Her marathon in Nashville will mark her 57th; this one is dedicated to Carrie Barnette.
"She loved Disneyland, she had three children..." said Christine.
In years prior, she also remembered a Nashville native who died in the shooting.
"I think it was about number 28 or 29 that was dedicated to Sunny Melton and just his beautiful story of being a first responder," she recalled.
While she's only one race away from wrapping up her cross-country tour, she insists the end of the marathons doesn't mean the end of remembering.
"We just honor them and appreciate their stories from a distance," she concluded, hoping the families know their loved ones' memories live on.
58 were killed in the shooting, and two more died after shooting-related injuries. Christine says she'll be honoring all the victims during her last marathon in Orange County, California, on May 4.
Do you know someone else running in the marathon with a special story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
My friend and colleague Carrie Sharp had a lot of fun last week, on an adventure to a country more than three thousand miles away! She’s back now – sharing her Adventures in Iceland through stories, and incredible images of this remarkably beautiful and unique island nation (kudos to Chief Photographer Catherine Steward)! But did you know Nashville has something very important in common with Iceland? Tourism! Here, Carrie explains how a volcanic eruption decades ago helped save the country’s economy from collapse!
-Rhori Johnston
