5k | 2k | Tot Trot
For the last 32 years, hundreds of families have gathered to walk and run in support of CURE, raising more than $6.7 million for lifesaving pediatric cancer research. Lauren’s Run & Picnic, presented by AutoNation, truly brings the community together, with families, schools, and companies forming race teams to support our fight.
After the race, participants, as well as families diagnosed with childhood cancer, join together for the CURE Annual Picnic. The CURE Picnic is a day unlike any other! Dozens of games, prizes, elaborate face painting, enormous inflatables, music and dancing, arts and crafts, a full lunch, and so much more. The CURE Picnic is a reunion for our families and a day of fun for all!
A LOOK AT LAST YEAR
Thirty-two years in, and Lauren’s Run & Picnic, presented by AutoNation, still embodies what community looks like when it shows up with its whole heart.
The 32nd annual event brought together 1,600 runners, walkers, fighters, survivors, families, and friends for one of Atlanta’s most energized mornings. The weather was beautiful, the energy infectious, and from the starting line to the finish, the sense of doing something that genuinely matters was present in every step.
That’s what makes Lauren’s Run so enduring. It belongs to everyone. Families wore shirts bearing the names of their heroes. Survivors ran miles that at one point might have been unthinkable. A little girl named Maeve ran the tot trot just one year after being on life support!
That’s the kind of morning Lauren’s Run creates. Newcomers arrived without a direct connection to childhood cancer but saw heroes like Maeve and the tribute signs along the course and knew that every step mattered.
Some participants wore gray bandanas in memory of children they love and miss. Others wore red bandanas in honor of a hero who is fighting or is a survivor. Many have run with us for many years, and some crossed the finish line for the very first time, arms raised in victory. Everyone ran with purpose, realizing they were a part of something larger than the race itself.
After the run, the picnic brought everyone back together. Kids played on the grass, families reconnected with friends they might not have seen since their hospital days. It was the kind of unhurried afternoon that is a gift. It’s the part of the day that reminds you this is a very special reunion, and a tradition for a community that shows up year after year.
Because of your energy and your generosity, Lauren’s Run & Picnic raised $347,000 for lifesaving childhood cancer research and family support. Thirty-two years. Thousands of miles. One community that keeps showing up. Thank you to every runner, walker, donor, volunteer, and sponsor who added your steps to this extraordinary tradition.
Interested in learning more about CURE Childhood Cancer? Click here »
For more information, please contact Kristen Rudio.
