Mile Champions
Meet Our 2025 Mile Champions
24 patients treated at Nationwide Children’s Hospital are selected to line each mile of the race, share their story and inspire others. Each Marathon Mile Champion picks a theme for their mile and is celebrated for their strength and bravery. There is also one Remembrance Mile to honor those who are no longer with us and one Encore Mile where we recognize every patient who has lined the course in the past. Together, they represent the more than 1.4 million patient visits to our hospital every year.
New this year! We are selecting our Mile Champions in two phases. Meet the first round of Mile Champions below.
Click below for the 2025 Marathon Mile Champions map. Please note: The map indicates where a Mile starts on the course and is not the exact location of the Mile Champion Cheer Tents.
2025 Map Coming Soon
MEET JOSHUA
Hometown: Pickerington, OH
Age on Race Day: 14
Diagnosis: Clear Cell Sarcoma
MEET BRIELLE
Hometown: Chesterville, OH
Age on Race Day: 14
Diagnosis: Wilms Tumor survivor, Kidney recipient
MEET CHARLOTTE F.
Hometown: Newark, OH
Age on Race Day: 8
Diagnosis: C3 Glomerulonephritis
MEET WAYLON
Hometown: Ashley, OH
Age on Race Day: 8
Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, blind, and nonverbal
MEET CHASE
Hometown: Caldwell, OH
Age on Race Day: 9
Diagnosis: Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
MEET LANDON
Hometown: Jackson Center, OH
Age on Race Day: 15
Diagnosis: Type 1 Diabetes, Spastic Diplegia, Klippel-Feil Syndrome
MEET VIVIAN
Hometown: Lewis Center, OH
Age on Race Day: 11
Diagnosis: Jordan's Syndrome
MEET MAYA
Hometown: Guelph in Ontario, Canada
Age on Race Day: 12
Diagnosis: Gastroparesis
MEET GUNNER
Hometown: Grove City, OH
Age on Race Day: 7
Diagnosis: Acute TCell Lymphoblastic Leukemia
MEET MICHAEL
Hometown: Mena, AR
Age on Race Day: 7
Diagnosis: Anorectal Malformation
MEET CHARLOTTE N.
Hometown: Malinta, OH
Age on Race Day: 7
Diagnosis: Trisomy 18
MEET GRAY
Hometown: Galion, OH
Age on Race Day: 9
Diagnosis: Scoliosis & Stenosis of the Spinal Cord
MEET MACKENZIE
Hometown: Pomeroy, OH
Age on Race Day: 14
Diagnosis: Ovarian Cancer
MEET CHARLIE
Hometown: Lewis Center, OH
Age on Race Day: 12
Diagnosis: Permanent juntional reciprocating tachycardia (PJRT)
MEET SOPHIA
Hometown: Clendenin, WV
Age on Race Day: 18
Diagnosis: Water burns to feet, Skin grafts
