St. Jude's Hospital Signs Deal To Become Key Sponsor Of Nashville Marathon

Organizers of the Country Music Marathon and Half-Marathon, “who have sought title sponsorship since it began 12 years ago, announced Friday they have entered a corporate partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” according to Mike Organ of the Nashville TENNESSEAN. The three-year deal means the event, which will be held April 28 and produced by the Competitor Group, "will be renamed the St. Jude Country Music Marathon and Half-Marathon presented by Nissan." Richard Shadyac Jr., the CEO of ALSAC, the fund raising organization for the hospital, said that the talks between the Nashville-based marathon and Memphis-based St. Jude "came together during the summer and did not take long to finalize." Shadyac, who unveiled the marathon’s new logo on Friday, said, “It took only a couple of months after we started talking to get it done.” The event drew more than 30,000 runners last year (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 10/8).