THON Express

The THON Express is a 135-mile run that was created with the intention of bridging the gap between the families on the 7th floor at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA and the dancers at the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON). THON is a year round fundraising event benefiting [http://www.hmc.psu.edu/fourdiamonds/ The Four Diamonds Fund] . Over the past 34 years, THON has raised more than $41 million and helped thousands of children and families fight pediatric cancer. [ [http://www.thon.org/thonexpress/about/ THON Express ] ]

About THON Express

The THON Express begins with a celebration for the families at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, located on Marathon Avenue in Hershey, PA. The celebration brings the amazing THON atmosphere to Hershey and the families that are unable to make the journey to University Park, PA. Once all the letters have been collected, the team starts their journey to THON, eventually ending at the Bryce Jordan Center to help kick off THON weekend.

The 135-mile journey is completed by a team of 16 runners, THON alumni and Four Diamonds families (past and present), over a 24 hour period. Just as THON dancers participate in the no-sitting, no-sleeping, two day dance marathon held every February, enduring hours of fatigue, pain, and delirium, the THON Express runners endure the harsh, winter weather of very cold nights in February. Anyone involved in either activity understands that what they are going to endure does not compare to the harsh reality of a cancer diagnosis and its treatment. Everyone involved knows that they are playing a small, albeit essential role, in one of Penn State's greatest and most unifying traditions. EVERYONE knows that they are doing this For the Kids, to honor them in their courageous battle against childhood cancer.

The History of THON Express

Hank and Connie Angus attended their first THON in February 2006 with their son, Gabriel (Gabe), who was diagnosed with leukemia. A few weeks before, Hank told Connie he was going to run to THON to show his appreciation for all that THON has done and dedicate the run to Gabe. Hank had just started training for a marathon and found that all of the running was helping "get his mind off" of everything that was happening with Gabe's leukemia battle. Of course, there was no way Connie was going to let her husband, Hank, run to THON alone, so the dream of THON Express developed.

After THON 2006, the Angus family was sitting in their car, ready to head home, and both Hank and Connie turned to each other and said, "We need to get that run together". They were impressed and overwhelmed by their first THON experience, and they wanted to contribute to the awareness and support of THON.

At first, they talked about making a torch run from the Hershey Medical Center to THON, that would resemble the Olympics' Torch run. The torch would be lit on the 7th floor by one of the kids and proceed to THON from there. Once at THON, they hoped to transfer the flame, symbolizing the start of THON. Alas, they were told how heavy the torches were, and decided they needed to work on a new angle. However, the Anguses were determined and still wanted the dream to become a reality. Since the intent of the run had always been a symbolic way of tying the families and activities at the Hershey Medical Center to THON, they started to think about how they could get the families involved. There are many families who are not be able to attend THON because their children are too sick to leave the hospital. The run would be a great way for those families to express their regards to the students at THON by sending a note or a letter. THON Express was born; based on the Pony Express that ran tirelessly from point A to point B to deliver a message. The same can be said of the Express runners that carry those letters and notes from the families in Hershey to the THON dancers in University Park.

Promotional Elements

[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5656086087947416831 THON Express Promotional Video]

References

External links

[http://www.thonexpress.org/ THON Express]
* [http://www.hmc.psu.edu/fourdiamonds/ The Four Diamonds Fund]