No Big Deal

I participated in this event for the first time, and although there was confusion about the 10k course, I still thought is was a great event, and the fact that it was done for those special kids and their families, the confusion really is not that big of a deal (who has control of the rain and what it does to the courses?!). When I heard that some people were upset about this fact, it bothered me because the reason for this race is to help these families whose children are fighting real battles, so if there is a few minutes of discrepencies in timing/distance-NO BIG DEAL. A saved life and happy child I think is a little better than 10 mins. off a finishing time. Both my husband and I enjoyed this event, were impressed by the turnout, and are already planning on doing it again next year. So great work to all of you guys and I really hope that you guys get more 'good' feedback than 'not so good'. Thanks again!!

Laura Mattis

Great Event

My 2010 bib is now displayed with the other 4 1/2 marathon bibs dating back to the first in 2006...can't wait until next year...the atmosphere, comradeship and course are awesome...best kept secret in Arizona racing...

Thank You, Again

Don Williams

P.S. ...White River 2003...Race began as a 26.2 trail run and turned into a +50k for most of us...I bet there are still runners out there looking for the trail...You folks do great work...don't doubt it and please please please never consider terminating the event...It is too important...running is only the by product.

LONDON'S RUN 2010: From the Hannabach's

I just wanted to say thank you! Dustin was so proud to walk in the 2K, He dedicated his walk to his Great grandma who passed away on Friday morning from cancer. I just couldn't imagine how such a little guy could be so brave... And then I realized today that it is because of people just like you! People that give encouraging words and Hope. Dustin's fight is far from over but he is well on his way to recovery and we are grateful to have met you. Your family was a big part of his journey, Words cant begin to explain the feeling of being a part of London's Run....We are truly greatful to be a part of it thank you so much.... The Hannabachs

New Partnership

We are excited to announce that London's Run will be partnering with Positive Impact this year. Positive Impact helps many families struggling to pay bills and does exactly what London's Run has tried to do for the past 3 years. All monies raised from the event will benefit Arizona families in need. Thank you for your participation! Registration will be open by September 1, 2009.

Check out Positive Impact's website at www.positiveimpactinc.org!

It felt like a family reunion...

Our family purchased a home here in Arizona we have resided here for 4 years. Dr. Haynes told me about the run, my Family and relatives from Eden Prairie Minnesota joined us on the Sat. run and we all had a BLAST and the event was well run and Organized you would have thought you were at a family reunion. Those who planned the event and all of the hard Work that went into preparation I Thank You and we look forward to next year. Queen Creek is a Wonderful Community and my Well Wishes go out to London's Family and all the families struggling with this disease that has no partiality!

Asante Burton

Family Event

Last year, my daugher Sheridan and I participated; Sheridan did the 10k and I did the 2 mile run. It was our first event since we began jogging. I was so pleased to see families participating that I decided my whole family would participate the following year. My husband and I with our 4 children, plus 2 spouses and 5 grandchildren signed up for London's Run. Two daughers did the 10k and the rest of us walked. The two older grandchildren ages 3 and 5 did the 2 miles and the younger three were happy to be pushed in strollers.

Thank you for a lovely and worthwhile event.

Sherrill Toscano and family

Tyler Family Fan

I can not tell you how much I enjoyed the 1/2 marathon on Saturday... just a great "vibe" from the start (Yay! Rick Hale!) But I have to tell you that my favorite part was seeing the Tyler family... the first person I encountered was Juliet... I recognized her right off even though my connection with her was as her 5th grade teacher years ago! It was so great to see her, but when I got to the third water station and was in a BEVY of Tylers... well, I was overwhelmed with joy! To see Heidi and Justin... and their parents was so wonderful! I caught up later on with Holly and ended the race after a minute or two of running along side Noah!!! Having been lucky enough to be their teacher in one way or another (Keller through Mesa High) I felt so blessed to see them all again in an event that is so important to them.
I will never ever forget the extra "runner's high" I encountered that day... even those WICKED hills you guys mixed in were no match to the fantastic energy I was feeling!
Good work!
Craig Smith

"Cousins" Reunited

Thanks for a great event….this is our 2nd time running London’s Run (my wife Veda and I)and it gets better every year. I was able to complete the ½ Marathon in a PR and all along the way I keep seeing my cousin..Steve Stephens..on just about every corner. (I thought I was hallucination :-) But now I’ve come to find out that he was tracking his wife’s progress Jackie Stephens who came in first for females in our age group. I came in 3rd for our age group for males but I was unable to stay for the medal ceremony. Is there any way I can still receive my medal? Thanks again.

PS Steve’s not really my cousin we just work together and spell our last names the same way. But joking call each other cousin ever since we met. He’s white American and I’m African American

Cheers
Spider

Why We Like London's Run

I wanted to thank you for putting such a great race together. We had such a good time and it seemed as if you and your volunteers thought of just about everything. My 3 girlfriends and I ran our first 1/2 marathon this year at London's Run! When we were searching for the perfect first 1/2 marathon we came across your site and we thought what a great cause. We looked at the pictures from the previous years and it seemed like it was so family friendly. That is why we chose London's Run. These are the things we loved about London's Run:

It is a family affair
It means something because we are helping out families that are hurting
The course was extremely well marked
Loved the pictures of the families and children along the route...it helped motivate us!
REALLY appreciated the potties along the route!
The water, gatorade, and goo stations
The food, massages, entertainment, etc. after the race
And of course the magnificent weather! (not sure how much you had to do with that, but we appreciated it anyways!)

I want to thank you again for all the hard work you put into this event. I know that you do it because you have a big heart and you truly care about others and their needs. Thank you for a wonderful experience.
Sincerely,
Niki Clonts

Tribute to London's Mom

This was my first run that I ever participated in. The event was so organized from start to finish. It was so wonderful to see our community come together to support this amazing run for London and the Merkley family.

As I listened to London's mother speak at the event, it brought tears to me. She is a beautiful woman filled with so much courage. Her strength and hope is very encouraging. London was a very lucky girl to have such a special mother here on earth. It was truly and honor to hear her speak and to see how she continues to do something so wonderful in honor of her beautiful daughter to help other children.

My little girl Madisyn is 6 and we went to the table together to look at the memories of London. She was such a beautiful little girl. She now will ask questions about London when we are driving or see the signs. Madisyn loves butterflies and see noticed them on the signs.

It was an honor to be a part of such a wonderful run. I look forward to next year. May God bless you and bring comfort and peace.

Love
Cheri Dunlock

One Step At A Time

Thanks to all of you for your support at London's Run. It was a perfect morning, and we had an awesome turnout!

It was an incredible day, filled with common people doing uncommon things. As I ran the 10k, I found myself getting choked up to look out across the beautiful farm fields and see hundreds of you running for this common cause. If you ran, did you see those horses at the beginning of the race? They wanted to run along with us! It was as if they knew that this run was something special. It was something greater than just a bunch of people jogging.

The thing I love most about London's Run is that it reminds me that with all the bad news in the world - there is still good news. There are still good people willing to help others. There are still good people who are willing to go above and beyond, or try something new, just to help out others.

If London and her family have shown us anything, it is that it is possible to take negative life experiences and make them positive. It is all about our attitude, and our resolve. Turning the frown upside down doesn't happen overnight, it is a journey, that we take one step at a time. And we make that journey together.

I hope you all keep running, and that we will see you again next year!

--David Haynes, London's Uncle

REGISTRATION FOR 2009 IS NOW OPEN!

Planning for London's Run 2009 is now underway! We've got pre-registration open at active.com now. We've already had people register too! The website will be updated shortly to contain information pertinent to this year. We hope you join us and continue to share your stories so we can publish them here!

If you have any questions please email Nancy at nancy@londonsrun.org or Heather at heather@londonsrun.org.

Thanks for your continued support!

Your donation to PCH

Today Heather and Nancy, Directors, and Preston Solomon, London's brother presented our donation to Phoenix Children's Hospital.  Our $17,000 donation, made possible by your Run registration fees, will fund pediatric cancer research and supplies for the oncology floor playroom.  

When London was able to leave her hospital room, she played in the playroom.  When she was on restriction (to protect her from infection) the playroom came to her.  Cathy, the playroom queen, came to her once, sometimes twice a day with games, music and crafts to keep her busy and her mind off her treatment and cancer.  Knowing you have a bad disease is heavy information.  PCH works diligently to alleviate that heaviness by providing outlets for these special kids to be KIDS.  Kids shouldn't have such big worries!  The playrooms also provide the kids the chance to socialize with other kids, and the same for parents.  It is hard to be stuck in a hospital room for weeks on end - so the playroom is a pretty busy place!  It also takes a lot to provide new toys and activities for the daily visitors.  Cathy and the others who work there are happy to have our donation.

Much of cancer research is done with clinical studies. These studies lead to the most effective treatment. Because of these types of studies, “The CDC report shows a 20% decline in the pediatric cancer death rate between 1990 and 2004" (December 12, 2007, Bethesda, MD – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  London participated in a Children's Oncology Group (COG) study.  Her family hoped that her participation will aid another child beat the disease.  We are happy to support efforts to continue clinical trials and the continuing decline in pediatric cancer deaths.

Just think - your RUN helps a lot of kids!  Thank you for helping us support a really good cause.

WOW!

Wow, wow, wow!!!! London’s Run was everything I thought it would be and much much more. The moment we arrived I knew this was going to be a special day. Once I got a look at the tribute tables with pictures of Troy, London, and Tucker the tears were flowing. One picture in particular was of London’s mom Heather and London cheek to cheek. London is bald as can be and yet they both have big smiles on their faces. That picture touched me a great deal because I think it just shows so much about them and their love for each other. Then to watch all the runners take off for the run was inspiring. People of all ages showed up to run the ½ marathon, 10K, and 2 mile fun run. The youngest person I saw was a little 6 year old girl who ran the ½ marathon. Her dad cried when she came through the finish line and so did everyone that saw her. I was inspired by her and what great people she must have in her life. What 6 year old decides to run 13 miles? It was pretty incredible. We also had a group of girls from Snow College in Utah come down just for the run. They all had t-shirts on that said Snow College runs for Troy. Then the back said miles ran……13, miles traveled……1160, saving a child’s life……priceless. Now come on, those girls were awesome!

Abby, Troy's sister, worked at a water station with her grandparents and loved handing out the water to the runners. I hear the water stations were quite a party and we appreciate all those that helped work those. Troy loved riding the mechanical bull, jumping on the bouncies, and getting his face painted with a spider. Wyatt on the other hand just wanted to wander anywhere he could and pick up every last piece of trash and put it directly in his mouth. I just love his devilish attitude. It was awesome to have our whole family out to support and a great thank you to them. We would not be able to accomplish anything without your help. 

To the Solomon family, we were honored to have been a part of this event and know that it is truly inspired. We will certainly attend every year from now on. Thanks to all those friends, and friends of friends, for coming out to London's Run. It was mind-blowing to see so many of you.

I could go on and on about these stories and some day I could write a book about this whole experience. Although, I hate Leukemia with all my heart and wish Troy didn’t have it, I am forever changed by this experience.

Sincerely,

Heather Wendt

To London's Run and all involved:

  When Tucker was first diagnosed with Lymphoma & everything that was going on in my life at the time, I didn't know how I was going to get through this cancer thing with Tuck.  With him now being cancer free, and because of London's Run I think, how come everyone else going through cancer with a loved one isn't as lucky as we are.  The opportunity that has been given us to be apart of London's Run, has allowed for my children and I to see what serving your fellow man really means. It has allowed for us to rub shoulders with Heavenly Fathers finest, it has allowed for us to breathe financially when we could not have otherwise.  This time in our life will not only be a memory of going through chemo, and how hard that was, but it will also be very tender memories with much gratitude for so many complete strangers to us.  People that went out of their way and went way above the call of duty.  London's Run leaves me with the feeling that I can try harder to become more than I am now.

Thanks to you all,

Love, Sandy Mc

Thank you!

I cant tell or thank everyone involved in London's Run enough, for everything they've done for me and my family, and everything they continue to do. The event, honestly is LIFE CHANGING, and the aid it has given is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I love you all for all the priceless time you put into making this great thing possible, and especially to London and her family, for knowing and agreeing in the pre-existance what they were going to do, and how many lives they were going to bless. 

Thank you, I love you all, and I cant wait till next years run. 

Tucker McElhaney

Committee Dinner Honors Volunteers

Last night we had a dinner at Heather's house to honor our volunteers and all those who make London's Run a success. For those of you who weren't able to make it, we missed you and wished you could have been there. We had a yummy dinner provided by Food City and then a London's Run Trivia Quiz. Then there was a little program led by Heather where she named our 2 volunteers of the year: Shanda Riggs and Michelle Solomon. A nurse from Phoenix Children's Hospital shared her experience working with children who have cancer and how much fundraisers like this mean. Then we presented the Wendt and McElhaney families with the money we raised for them. They were able to share a few words too. After emphasizing that London's Run's mission is not to just raise money for cancer patients and PCH, but it's also to provide the opportunities for families to do something for someone else and raise awareness about these childhood cancer, our 2008 net total of $40,000! It was a really neat evening and was an excellent way to close an excellent year! 

Nancy

From Caringbridge.com

You don't know me. My friend Kandee Baldwin showed me this site. I have enjoyed with mixed emotions reading about your daughter and looking at her pictures. We have one thing in common. I lost my little girl to cancer 3 years ago. Jan. 25th. I think Charlee and London know each other. Charlee would love London for a little sister. She loved animals too, lived at PCH, had a bald head and endured chemotherapy. I had heard about you from Kandee and my heart goes out to you. I wish I would have visited this site before now. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please let me know.
Love,
Char Hawkins

Another London!

My name is Melissa Palys and I am writing to you from Concord, New Hampshire. I came across this website while looking at homes in Queens Creek as my family is looking to move to the Phoenix area. I wanted to share that I have a 1 year old named London as well. What a beautiful name. I wish I could attend the run--maybe next year when I we relocate there. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Melissa Palys
Concord, NH

Honored to Participate

My name is Terri Galvan, I participated in London's Run this morning. I have several friends that have told me about London & I was honored to participate today. When I was coming around the last turn of the 10K, I looked at the photo on the sign & recognized Heather. I used to serve in the Stake Sports program up by Red Mt High School with Heather. I remember what an amazing mom she was & what a great example she was to me. I just wanted to let your family know that you are in our prayers, keep up the good work & you will once again hold London in your arms.
Sincerely,
Terri Galvan