The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon is pleased to announce its field of “Patient Champions” who will represent 24 of the 26.2 miles on this year’s course. The other two miles along the Marathon route will be deemed the “Encore Mile” and “Angel Mile,” and each mile will be sponsored by a corporate or community organization.
After submitting personal stories through social networking sites and the hospital’s website, Patient Champions, who are current patients of Nationwide Children’s, were selected by hospital staff based on various criteria including diversity of diagnosis, age and enthusiasm to cheer on race participants at their mile, among other criteria. A full list of Patient Champions can be found below.
Additionally, the Encore Mile will invite the 49 Patient Champions who were honored along the 2012 and 2013 race routes and the Angel Mile is dedicated to the angels of Nationwide Children’s who have passed on. The Angel Mile will be lined with white feather banners and represented by families honoring their children while cheering on participants.
Marathon and ½ Marathon participants are encouraged to raise donations on behalf of Nationwide Children’s. In the past two years, between participants’ fundraising efforts, corporate and community sponsorships and matches by the Marathon board, more than $2 million has been raised for Nationwide Children’s.
Partners that have committed to sponsoring a Miracle Mile along the 2014 Marathon route include: Platinum Sponsors The Columbus Dispatch, Limited Brands, Nationwide Insurance and Walmart/Sam’s Club; Gold Sponsors Dennis Hyundai, The Kroger Co. and Cardinal Health; and Silver Sponsors Big Lots, Bob Evans, Campus Parc, Clif Bar, Fifth Third Bank, Kohl’s Department Stores, Stynchula Family Foundation with CarMax, and The Superior Group.
Corporate or community organizations interested in becoming a partner in this year’s event may contact Haley Dominique with Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation at (614) 355-0888.
To read more about the Patient Champions’ stories and to support Nationwide Children’s, visit nationwidechildrens.org/marathon.
The 35th Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon will be held on Sunday, October 19, 2014 and will have the capacity of 7,000 full marathoners and 11,000 ½ Marathoners. The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon is among the 15 largest marathons in the United States and it’s one of the top marathons to qualify runners for the Boston Marathon. For more information, visit www.columbusmarathon.com.
The 2014 Patient Champions:
• Avery Barbato, 4, Tyrosinemia 1, Dayton, OH 45458
• Nixon Brower, 1, Transposition of the Great Vessels, Westerville, OH 43082
• Ishallar W. Bryant, 13, Elevated Hemoglobin / Anemia, Westerville, OH 43081
• Gabe Carlisle, 10, Autism, Baltimore, OH 43105
• Addison Christopher, 8, Cerebral Palsy, Canal Winchester, OH, 43110
• Emma Dickman, 8, Cerebral Palsy, Dublin, OH 43017
• Colette Frommeyer, 18, Head injury, Dublin, OH 43017
• Charlee Gaietto, 2, Micro-preemie, Tiffin, OH 44883
• Grace Glaros, 6, Spina bifida, Columbus, OH 43235
• Kaylin Williams, 4, Epilepsy, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
• Grace Kirura, 2, Cleft lip/palate, Blacklick, OH 43004
• Sophia Kline, 9, Congenital Heart Defect, Logan, OH 43138
• Tyler Lutz, 10, Autism, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• Rayne McCann, 9, Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
• Reagan McGee, 2, Sanfilippo Syndrome, Columbus, OH 43081
• Dalton Miller, 9, Type 1 Diabetes, Newark, OH 43055
• Elena Miller, 6, Profound hearing loss, Columbus, OH 43220
• Roman Pettograsso, 8, Type 1 Diabetes, Galena, OH 43021
• Madison Pharo, 18, Bilateral Wilm's Tumor, Whitehall, OH 43213
• Devon Spence, 10, Traumatic Brain Injury, Johnstown, OH 43031
• Ian Straight, 11, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Lancaster, OH 43130
• Oliver Quezko Shelpman, 6, Primary Immune Disease /Heart transplant, Grove City, OH 43123
• Camila Trefftz, 19, Adolescent Rumination Syndrome, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
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