Toyota Rock ‘n’ Roll Concert Series will take place following the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & ½ Marathon on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at Ascend Amphitheater at 7:00 p.m.
TAMPA, Fla./NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 16, 2018) – On Saturday, April 28, 2018 the annual St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll® Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon will continue its strong tradition of bringing fun to the run with great music at the core. The premier running event in Tennessee will entertain the masses with five-time GRAMMY© nominee Hunter Hayes taking the stage as the Toyota Rock ‘n’ Roll Concert Series Headliner at Ascend Amphitheater. The post-race concert, which will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night, will also feature country music newcomer Erin Kinsey as the opening act.
Hunter Hayes is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who roared onto the music scene with his multi-Platinum, self-titled debut album and chart-topping sophomore album, Storyline. With three No. 1 singles under his belt, Hayes has tallied over 40 award nominations and wins including the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Male Country Artist in 2015 and the CMA Awards’ coveted New Artist of The Year trophy in 2012.
Since the summer of 2014, Erin Kinsey and her band started making waves in Music City with appearances at CMA Fest in Nashville and the C2C Festival in London, as well as numerous acoustic performances at the legendary Blue Bird Café. Fans can expect big things from Erin Kinsey in 2018, as she is one of the up-and-coming country musicians not to be overlooked.
“St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon, is a marquee event in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series©,” said Natalia Mendez, Race Director. “We are thrilled that Hunter Hayes will headline this year’s post-race concert at Ascend Amphitheater celebrating the many musical genres that Nashville is known for. We are sure that Hunter, and opener Erin Kinsey, will keep the party rocking for runners and spectators after the race.”
The Ascend Amphitheater will be open exclusively to registered runners with friends and family having an opportunity to purchase tickets. The grass park adjacent to Ascend Amphitheater will have speakers and a jumbo screen, serving as overflow and an opportunity for the community to be part of the weekend as it will be open to the public.
The musically themed road race is expected to attract more than 30,000 runners who will take on the 26.2 marathon, 13.1-mile half marathon or 5K courses, while 50 of Nashville’s best live bands perform on improved band stages along the route, interspersed with cheerleaders and themed water stations. Participants can move along to more music than ever with all new mile-markers that include speakers and race pacers who will be running with mobile speaker packs.
During the marathon, thousands of St. Jude Heroes will run for a reason, hoping to raise more than $2 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. More than $10 million has been raised over the event’s seven-year partnership with St. Jude.
“The St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon uniquely unites the music industry, fitness enthusiasts and St. Jude Heroes who, together, are bringing children one step closer to victory in their fight against cancer,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “The funds raised from this event and our St. Jude Heroes help ensure no family will ever receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food so that all they should worry about is helping their child live.”
The St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon weekend will kick off on Thursday, April 26 with a free two-day Health & Fitness Expo at the Nashville Music City Center. All race participants will have the opportunity to visit the expo to pick up their race packets and browse over 100 exhibitors featuring free samples, the latest in running gear and sports apparel, as well as a series of interactive clinics.
Returning for the second year, a one-mile race will take place on Thursday night, giving runners a chance to warm up for the main event. Participants can earn a third, bonus medal for taking on two days of running over the weekend, completing the ‘Remix Challenge™’. Thursday’s one-mile race ends at Ascend Amphitheater.
The weekend events conclude on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. with KiDS ROCK™ Nashville presented by the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, where more than 3,500 junior racers from grades K-7 will complete the final mile of their modified marathon.
For more information on the event’s weekend activities, please visit www.RunRocknRoll.com/Nashville. For more information on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series®, please visit runrocknroll.com. Media may contact press@runrocknroll.com.
For more information on Hunter Hayes, please visit www.hunterhayes.com. For further information about Erin Kinsey, please visit www.erinkinsey.com.
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About Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series® is the world’s largest running series with more than 600,000 runners taking part in over 30 destination events around the world every year. Established in 1998, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series’ simple idea of making running fun has transformed both the U.S. and global running landscape by infusing the course with live bands, cheer teams and entertaining water stations, creating a block-party atmosphere for participants and spectators alike. Race weekend kicks off with a free Health & Fitness Expo showcasing the latest in running gear, sports apparel, health and nutritional information and much more. Events culminate with an entertaining finish-line festival and Toyota Concert Series Headliner featuring some of the biggest names in music, with past performances including Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Aloe Blacc, Pitbull, FloRida, the Goo Goo Dolls and Bret Michaels. Further information about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series can be found online at www.RunRocknRoll.com and follow @RunRocknRoll on all social platforms.
About IRONMAN
A Wanda Sports Holdings company, IRONMAN operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series®, Iron Girl®, IRONKIDS®, International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series races, road cycling events including the UCI Velothon® Series, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic®, premier marathons including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, and other multisport races. IRONMAN’s events, together with all other Wanda Sports Holdings events, provide more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. The iconic IRONMAN® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Beginning as a single race, IRONMAN has grown to become a global sensation with more than 200 events across 50 countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.
About Hunter Hayes
Hailed as a “force to be reckoned with” by the Huffington Post, multiple-award-winner Hunter Hayes is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who roared onto the music scene with his 2x multi-Platinum, No. 1 self-titled debut album and chart-topping sophomore album, Storyline, on Atlantic Records / Warner Music Nashville. With three No. 1 singles under his belt (the multi-Platinum smash “Wanted,” double-Platinum “I Want Crazy” and Platinum-selling “Somebody’s Heartbreak”), Hayes continues to surprise fans with new releases such as “Yesterday’s Song” and his latest, “Rescue,” which inspired his NSA school renovation. In addition to his GRAMMY nominations, the multi-instrumentalist has tallied over 40 award nominations and wins including the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Male Country Artist in 2015 and the CMA Awards’ coveted New Artist of The Year trophy in 2012.
About Erin Kinsey
Since the summer of 2014, Erin and her band started making waves in Texas and Music City, headlining noteworthy venues such as Love and War in Texas and The Gaylord Texan, and making appearances at CMA Fest in Nashville, The Dallas International Film Festival and the Bluebird Cafe. In 2016, Erin made her European debut and performed at the annual Country to Country Festival (C2C) in London, England at The O2 Arena. The festival featured international country superstars such as Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Sam Hunt and Kacey Musgraves. C2C organizers look for new talent that they can introduce to fans via the C2C Pop-Up stages. The caliber of artists applying to play is very high and Erin was chosen out of over 400 applications from all over the world. Erin has also been spending significant time in Nashville writing with some of the industry’s top songwriters and she prepares for her upcoming EP. For further information about Erin Kinsey, please visit www.erinkinsey.com .
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook (facebook.com/stjude) and following us on Twitter (@stjude).
