Meet Our 2023 Mile Champions
24 patients treated at Nationwide Children’s Hospital are selected to line each mile of the race, share their story and inspire others. Each Marathon Mile Champion picks a theme for their mile and is celebrated for their strength and bravery. There is also one Angel Mile to honor those who are no longer with us and one Encore Mile where we recognize every patient who has lined the course in the past. Together, they represent the more than 1.4 million patient visits to our hospital every year.
Click below for the 2023 Marathon Mile Champions map. Please note: The map indicates where a Mile starts on the course and is not the exact location of the Mile Champion Cheer Tents.
2023 Map
MEET BRIELLE
Hometown: Washington Court House, OH
Age: 9
Diagnosis: Rare Genetic Mutation of the 16th Chromosome GRIN2A
MEET EMMA GRACE
Hometown: Centerburg, OH
Age: 15
Diagnosis: Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Arthritic TMJ, Asthma, long-haul Covid
MEET LUCAS
Hometown: Upper Sandusky, OH
Age: 7
Diagnosis: Type 1 Diabetes
MEET LUCY
Hometown: Pataskala, OH
Age: 6
Diagnosis: Agenesis of Corpus Callosum, Epilepsy, Ventriculomegaly, Cortical Dysplasia, Cerebral Palsy, Dandy Walker, Viral Induced Asthma
MEET DYLAN
Hometown: Cedarville, OH
Age: 17
Diagnosis: Cystic Fibrosis
MEET GIANNA
Hometown: Powell, OH
Age: 5
Diagnosis: SCN8A Epilepsy
MEET AUSTIN
Hometown: Upper Arlington, OH
Age: 9
Diagnosis: Spina Bifida
MEET AIDEN
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Age: 8
Diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-Cell)
MEET CY
Hometown: Vanlue, OH
Age: 10
Diagnosis: Pigmented epithelioid melanocytoma
MEET GABE
Hometown: Delaware, OH
Age: 10
Diagnosis: Cerebral Palsy
MEET ELOISE
Hometown: Dublin, OH
Age: 12
Diagnosis: Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Disease / Chronic Osteomyelitis
MEET SAM
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Age: 11
Diagnosis: Ewing's Sarcoma
MEET LUCIA
Hometown: Worthington, OH
Age: 6
Diagnosis: Bilateral cleft lip and cleft palate
MEET GREYSON
Hometown: Perrysburg, OH
Age: 7
Diagnosis: Congenital Heart Disease - Coarctation of the Aorta, PDA, Bicuspid Aortic Valve
MEET BRYCE
Hometown: Delaware, OH
Age: 12
Diagnosis: Brain Hemorrhage/AVM
MEET JUDAH
Hometown: Canal Winchester, OH
Age: 6
Diagnosis: Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss caused by enlarged vestibular aqueducts
MEET VIVIAN
Hometown: Aberdeen, SD
Age: 8
Diagnosis: Imperforate Anus, tethered spinal cord, hydronephrosis, didelphys uterus
MEET ELLA
Hometown: Powell, OH
Age: 8
Diagnosis: Giant Omphalocele containing liver, stomach, intestines
MEET BEN
Hometown: Lewis Center, OH
Age: 8
Diagnosis: Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, chronic pulmonary issues
MEET ZAVIER
Hometown: Westerville, OH
Age: 7
Diagnosis: Traumatic Brain Injury
MEET EMERSON
Hometown: Nashport, OH
Age: 7
Diagnosis: Myelomeningocele, Hydrocephalus
MEET NADIA
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Age: 13
Diagnosis: Crohn’s Disease
MEET KATELYN
Hometown: Powell, OH
Age: 8
Diagnosis: Stage 4, High Risk, Neuroblastoma w/aorto-aortic bypass and right auto transplanted kidney
MEET AVERY
Hometown: Pickerington, OH
Age: 9
Diagnosis: Congenital Heart Disease
