KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thousands of runners laced up Saturday morning at the annual Rock the Parway Half Marathon/5K Race in support of Children's Mercy Kansas City.
This year marks 16 years of the Rock the Parkway Race hosted by Burns & McDonnell in partnership with KC Running Company.
"Children’s Mercy is so fortunate to have amazing community partners like Burns & McDonnell in Kansas City running company who allows us to do things like provide distraction toys for children all the way to groundbreaking research and a lot of new mental health initiatives that were implementing at the hospital," said Annie Burcham with Children's Mercy Kansas City.
This is one of Kansas City’s largest road races and serves as a fundraiser for Children's Mercy Hospital to continue reaching families in need across the Kansas City area.
"We help around one and three kids in the region, and so we’re so grateful to be able to do that and provide these resources for kids and families in our community," said Burcham.
Over 6,000 runners took the streets of Ward Parkway.
Alissa McShane, Brendon Sands and Drake Fletcher were among those supporting this cause.
“It’s so fun to be outside with everyone running. Everyone is excited, the music is loud, weather is great," said McShane.
They also know every mile in the race is bringing support to thousands of children in Kansas City.
“Fantastic, you know. What's a better cause than for the kids, right?" said Fletcher. "It’s just great to be out here. I’m having a good time, we’re having a good time.”
Last year, the race supported Children's Mercy Kansas City with $43,000.
Click here to learn more about Children's Mercy Kansas City and other ways to help.
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KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez covers Platte and Clay counties in Missouri. Share your story idea with Marlon.
