Register for the 2012 Alton Miles for Meso
*Save the Date!!! Saturday, September 22, 2012 @ 9:00 AM***
Miles for Meso is a 5K race and 2K fun run/walk being held less than 30 minutes from downtown St. Louis in historic Alton, Illinois. This exciting event will take place the morning of September 22, 2012 and 100% of registration fees and donations will benefit mesothelioma cancer research. Presented by the Simmons Firm, and coordinated by the Metro Tri Club.
Click Here To Register for the 2012 Alton Miles for Meso 5K Race!
For more information, questions or to send in elite registration details, send an e-mail to elite@milesformeso.org or contact Race Director Mike Wever at 314-712-6629.
Prizes
The top five 5K finishers in both the elite men’s and women’s categories will receive cash prizes! 1st Place - $1500 2nd Place - $750 3rd Place - $500 4th Place - $250 5th Place - $100 All participants will be eligible for three $100 drawings! Awards for 1st-3rd in each age group! Elite runners are ineligible for age group awards.
Click Here To View 2011 Elite Race Times!
About
The Alton race is considered the flagship event for Miles for Meso. Since the Illinois river town hosted the first Miles for Meso race in 2009, the Alton race has raised $75,000 for mesothelioma research.
“It’s our goal to continue to use the Alton race as springboard for other races around the country,” said Mike Wever, Alton Race Director & president of the Metro Tri Club, the sports club organizing the event.
Alton Miles for Meso organizers decided to expand the 2011 race to include more prize money and additional festivities. Five times more prize money – totaling $6,200 was awarded to the top 5 runners in both the men's and women's elite divisions. To be eligible for cash prizes, participants must register under elite status. The amounts are as follows:
First Place: $1,500
Second Place: $750
Third Place: $500
Fourth Place: $250
Fifth Place: $100
Managing Partner Mike Angelides said the Simmons Firm is dedicated to helping Miles for Meso grow. Race organizers have been working with the Alton Visitors Bureau and city officials in an effort to plan an event that the area community can be proud of hosting, he said.
“Last year, we had several people travel from out of town to participate in the event including professional runners from Kansas City and mesothelioma patients from as far as Florida,” said Wever. “This year we’re hoping to encourage more people to attend the race and then take a few extra days to visit local tourist attractions.”
The day of the race both children and adults will have more activities to keep them busy. Instead of just one bounce house, the firm will organize a children’s carnival complete with face painting and other activities. Attendees could also have the chance to dunk community and firm leaders for charity. Food and beer venders will also be set up on site with additional seating and live music.
2011 Miles for Meso Race Wrap-Up
The 2011 Alton Miles for Meso 5K Raced raised a total of $25,000 for mesothelioma research. 
More than 600 people registered to walk or run in the 2011 Alton race, which took place in conjunction with Mesothelioma Awareness Day. In Nov. 2010, the U.S. Congress passed a proclamation designating Sept. 26 as National Mesothelioma Awareness Day, a day to learn more about mesothelioma, a terminal lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Nearly 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with this rare disease every year.
The funds raised were presented after the race to Kathy Wiedemer, the director of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and Nurse Mary Hesdorffer. Wiedemer said they will help support research grants the foundation awards to doctors conducting peer-reviewed research of mesothelioma and to help support patient resources offered through the foundation’s website www.curemeso.org.
Mike Wever called the Alton race a “blowout” for a 5K race, explaining that it has the largest cash purse - $6,200 - for a fall, Midwest race. About 41 elite men and women runners attended the race to compete for the cash prizes. Julius Koskei, of Hebron, KY, and Stephanie Pezzullo, of Charlotte, NC, won first in the men's and women's divisions with times of 13:48 and 16:16 respectively.View the 2011 Race Results >>>
Pezzullo, who was neck and neck with second place finisher Tonya Nero the last 400 meters, said she thought the Alton course was a very competitive race and she hoped to return again next year. "I think the (Alton Miles for Meso race) is a fantastic set up. It's a new race, but already it's showing signs of getting bigger and being more prestigious," she said.
Click here to view Stephanie's post race interview.
In 2012, the Alton race will take place, Saturday, Sept. 22. You can keep up-to-date on all the Miles for Meso news throughout the year by visiting our Miles for Meso Facebook Fan Page.
Click Here To Register for the 2012 Alton Miles for Meso 5K Race!
