Five Measly Mile Mafia runners to take on New York City Marathon

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Five area runners are set to run the New York City Marathon in November after donating to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Measly Mile Mafia members Terra James, Rayna Vogan, Stephanie Tripp, Arielle Thornton, and Tammy Rivera are raising money through the St. Jude Heroes program, which awards them entry into one of the biggest races on foot in the world.

All funds raised help St. Jude continue its mission of providing free cancer treatment to children and supporting their families through their fight. The group's goal is to raise $36,500 for the hospital before race day.

For James, who has run multiple big-name races like the Boston Marathon, Memphis Marathon, and more, she's thrilled to work with a group of friends to check off another notable race.

"It's really cool that all five of us get to go. You very rarely get five people from the same region. Let alone getting to build the dream team for the New York Marathon. It's kind of crazy," James said. "So there's the Abbott World Major Series, and a lot of people don't know about that. There are six in the series. So I'm going to conquer them all. I'll check them off one by one. Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo, and London are the six stars."

There's still time to help these runners meet their donation goal; click here. To learn more about the New York City Marathon, click here.

James also invites those looking to join the running world in our area. If you're interested in how to get started and join the Measly Mile Mafia, click here to reach out to James.