Final Annie Ryan Run steps off on Sunday
This year's Annie Ryan Run may be the last time the charity race takes to the streets of Elmhurst, but memories of the event's namesake will live on.
Annie, the youngest child of former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and his wife, Marie, died in 1997.
"She was 12 years old. She died of a nonmalignant brain tumor. My parents and me and my brothers and sisters wanted to find a way to honor her," said her brother John Ryan, who serves as chief of staff at Catholic Charities of the Chicago Archdiocese.
The Annie Ryan Run steps off at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 5, in Elmhurst and is expected to draw 500 runners to its 5K race and one-mile Kids Dash, Ryan said.
The event has raised more than $800,000 since it started in 2000. Until last year, money raised benefited the Midwest Children's Brain Tumor Center.
Last year, he said, the charity beneficiary of the event shifted to Catholic Charities, which will use funds raised through runners' pledges and sponsorships to benefit Catholic Charities programs for children.
The Ryan family helped establish a program for children through Catholic Charities' Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide program when the family grappled with another tragedy in 2007, when Patrick Ryan, John Ryan's 24-year-old brother, took his own life.
Ryan said the family discovered that while help was available for adults, there was a dearth of help available for children who experienced that type of loss.
Two charity events have since been established in memory of Patrick Ryan. One is an annual golf outing in August at St. Andrews Golf and Country Club in West Chicago. The other is the Patrick J. Ryan Main Event, an amateur boxing match. Ryan said his son, Joey, participated in the most recent match last February at Drury Lane in Oak Brook.
Ryan said Annie's name and memory now will be honored at both of those annual events.
The decision not to continue the Annie Ryan Run beyond 2016 was made, in part, because of the proliferation of charity runs in the area, he said. Ryan said his family wants to give other causes an opportunity to raise funds for their charities.
Also, he said, participation has dipped since that first year.
"Back then, we used to get over 1,000 runners," he said.
The Annie Ryan Run/Walk will begin at 9 a.m. at the corner of York Road and South Street and will route athletes through city streets and parts of the Illinois Prairie Path.
"I run in it," Ryan said. "The whole family is involved."
He said his parents plan to be on hand to offer encouragement at the start/finish line.
The one-mile Kids Dash begins at 9:45 a.m. and is open to children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Both races are chip-timed.
The Jesse White Tumblers are set to perform at the event.
Organizers said Jim and Marie Ryan will be recognized for their commitment to Catholic Charities and children's causes with an award. The Thomas and Christina Grusecki Foundation, sponsors of the Kids Dash, also will be recognized at the race.
Runners can register in advance through noon Tuesday, May 31, at catholiccharities.net or in person on race day.
If you go
What: 17th annual Annie Ryan 5K Run/Walk
Who: Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
When: 5K at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 5; Kids Dash at 9:45 a.m.
Where: York Road and South Street, Elmhurst
Cost: $30 in advance, $35 on race day for 5K; $15 for Kids Dash
Info: catholiccharities.net