Terra James named 5th recipient of Bill Snyder Woman of Impact Award
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The St. Joseph Sports Commission announced the recipient of the fifth Coach Bill Snyder Woman of Impact Award for the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
The Woman of Impact Award recognizes a female athlete, coach, administrator or contributor who achieved an outstanding season or accomplishment over the past year.
The award is named in honor of St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2021 inductee Bill Snyder, who spoke of the strong impact his mother Marionetta made on his life during his induction speech at the inaugural Hall of Fame ceremony.
Coach Snyder is a St. Joseph native, Lafayette High School graduate and former Kansas State football coach. He will present the award to local athlete Terra James during the ceremony in August.
James is well known around the community for her love of running. She has been the volunteer marketing director for the St. Joseph Marathon all four years of its existence; she dedicates her running journey to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
James has also completed prestigious runs like the Boston Marathon, Memphis Marathon, Kansas City Marathon and the Nashville Marathon twice, along with dozens of other marathons and community races.
Additionally, the Measly Mile Mafia member uses every finish line as an opportunity to raise funds and awareness for local causes and to support children battling catastrophic illnesses.
James has also inspired other Mafia members to follow in her footsteps by running for local and national charities, including seven fellow runners from the St. Joseph community who have become St. Jude Heroes. All seven of the athletes will compete in the 2026 New York City and/or Memphis Marathons with James.
The group also will have raised over $110,000 for St. Jude by the end of 2026.
James has also organized numerous annual charitable races locally, including the Holiday Tutu Trot, the Krug Castle Challenge and the return of the Pony Express 5K.
The avid runner will be among the 2026 Hall of Fame class consisting of 10 individual inductees, one team and the Special Olympics Athlete of the Year to be recognized.
The 2026 Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony will begin with a social hour at 4 p.m., with the ceremony starting at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23, at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center.
Tickets for the event are $25 per person and can be purchased at stjomosports.com or by calling 816-233-6688.
