Paying it forward, again

4-year-old leukemia patient to benefit from Fourth Annual Tenley Tough 5K

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ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — In October of 2016 Tenley Norman of Loxley was diagnosed with cancer when she was just 9 months old.

While undergoing treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, family and friends gathered for the Tenley Tough 5K and Fun Run at the PZK Hall in Robertsdale.

Tenley will soon celebrate three years cancer-free and the family is continuing to pay it forward by hosting the Fourth Annual Tenley Tough 5K Run and Fun Run on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Honeybee Park.

“Last year’s run raised about $7,000 and we’re hoping to keep that going this year,” said Julianna Beck, a friend of the Norman family who has a daughter, Aria, who is the same age as Tenley.

This year’s proceeds will go to 4-year-old Cullen McKinney, the son of Jessica and Fletcher McKinney of Robertsdale. At age 3, Cullen was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He is currently undergoing treatments in Mobile, which are scheduled to continue over the next three years, Beck said.

The 5K run begins at 8 a.m. with the fun run set to begin at 9 a.m. Registration for the 5K race is $20 for ages 6 to 17 and $30 for ages 18 and up. For the fun run, registration costs $15 for ages 6 to 17 and $20 for ages 18 and up.

If you want to sign up for the “Support Squad,” and just receive a race T-shirt, it’s $15 for adults and $10 for ages 6 to 17. Race registration is free for children 5 and under, but there is a $10 fee for the T-shirt.

You can register online at runsignup.com (there is an additional $2.50 sign-up fee for adults, $2 for children 17 and under).

A Tenley Tough table will also be set up, courtesy of Jason Will Real Estate, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4 before the Robertsdale High School Homecoming football game at J.D. Sellars Stadium and race-day registration will be held from 6 to 7:30 a.m.

Awards will follow the races, including top male and female overall runner and top male and female walkers, plus first, second and third place finishers in categories from 5-12 to 70-plus. Prizes will also be awarded to the top male and female overall and first, second and third in age categories for the fun run.

After the race, stick around for music, kids games and entertainment, along with food trucks, snow cones and ice cream and a coffee truck.

You can contact Beck, 251-243-8650, juliannna.beck@yahoo.com; or visit the Team Tenley page on Facebook.