The History

In 2022 this run came together a few weeks before The Nations' beloved holiday, St. Patrick Swayze Day. Our favorite local pub, The Centennial, has been throwing this annual party for years on the weekend of Patrick Swayze's birthday. Swayze was taken too soon by pancreatic cancer, so we threw together a quick fun run, and all proceeds went to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN). We were blown away by how quickly you all came together - the donations totaled almost $900! The next year, for 2023, we got a little more organized, had a little more fun, and raised a little more money. Then there was 2024, then 2025... Thousands of dollars raised and many memorable shirts later, it keeps growing, and we're back for year 5!

The 5th Annual Swayze Classic

The event will be on Saturday, August 15th at 10:15am, just like last year. (What?! Who starts a run at 10:15am?) Yep, you read that right. The fun run/walk/jog will have a couple distances to choose from: there will be a 2-ish mile and a 4-ish mile distance around The Nations. 80s gear or Swayze-themed outfits are highly encouraged, so dig through those closets or visit your favorite local thrift store for a rad outfit!

This event is kid-friendly and stroller-friendly, but just a heads up that only those over 21 years old will be allowed in The Centennial (we'll have an outdoor area set up for before/after the race where families can be). We will be back in time for exclusive, early access to the St. Patrick Swayze Day party that doesn't open to the public until 12pm.

What your registration gets you:

• A chance to make history at the 5th Annual Swayze Classic
• First beer free from The Centennial
• Early access to the St. Patrick Swayze Day party
• Really rad race shirt (only available to participants - this can't be purchased at the party!)
• All of the proceeds go to PanCAN to support pancreatic cancer research and early detection initiatives
• Some water & probably post-race snacks
• Raffle tickets for some gnarly prizes!

So bust out your neon, spandex, and/or 80s athletic gear and get into the Swayze Spirit!

The Nations has a few thrift stores to check out and shop locally! Southern Thrift & This-N-That.

Raffle Details:

This will probably be like last year when, to speed up the process, we will have some prizes drawn ahead of time so you can check your ticket and pick up after the run. The big prizes will be raffled off live! You will get three tickets when you check in, and extra raffle tickets can be "purchased" by making a donation to our PanCAN page. If you donate ahead of time, you'll make our lives easier, and there is a good chance we throw in a couple extra tickets. **So **donate here. We have some really great prizes in store and also probably a few random ones that Andrew found at McKay's. You never know with that guy. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Registration notes:

• Kids age 5 and under are free and do not need to be registered.
• Please register kids ages 6--12 (they're at a discounted rate!) - please note: the smallest shirt size we have is an adult small.
• Adults age 21+ will also include a beer ticket
• T-shirts and sizes guaranteed by ~July 20th. After that, shirts will be first come, first serve until we run out - so register early!

Keep up to date with us @thenationsrun on Instagram! We also have a Strava and FB page.