Sheryl Crow joined more than 30,000 runners at the 2012 St. Jude Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon presented by Nissan. The first ambassador of the St. Jude Music Gives program, Crow ran the Nashville half-marathon in support of the New Hope Academy, finishing the 13.1-mile race in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 14 seconds.

“The bands were great, they were so uplifting and fun and really help take your mind off the pain. People lined the course the whole way, cheering you on saying ‘you can do it’,” said Crow, 49, who was running her first half-marathon and recently released her seventh album 100 Miles From Memphis. “I can really see how people get hooked on doing marathons.”

A pair of first time marathoners won the 13th running of Nashville’s 26.2 mile block party. Berry College sophomore Ryan James of Belfast, Maine won the race in 2 hours, 32 minutes and 50 seconds. At 19-years-old he became the youngest marathon champion in the history of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series.

“This was an amazing experience. My plan was to run to completion and run as hard as I could,” said James. “Those last couple miles it was getting a little tough. I heard Nashville had hills but I’m a cross-country runner. A bunch of my teammates are here running to celebrate the end of our season, but this is the highlight of my running career.”

Erin Sutton of Woodstock, Ga. won the women’s marathon in 2 hours, 54 minutes and 16 seconds to take home the $1,000 first prize after her debut. Dallas-based Kenyan Sammy Kiplagat, who won the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas Half Marathon last month, was the first to cross the finish line outside LP Field, with a winning half-marathon time of 1 hour, 10 minutes and 8 seconds. A three-time All-American at the University of Tennessee, Sharon Thompson of Franklin, Tenn. won the women’s half-marathon in 1 hour, 19 minutes and 40 seconds.

Along with Crow, other notable runners included national radio host, Dave Ramsey (2:16:15), Christian artist Toby Mac (2:18:39), Suzanne Alexander, host of GAC Nights and On The Streets (2:19:58) and Country Music artist Joanna Smith, who sang the national anthem and then completed the half-marathon in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 33 seconds running in support of St. Jude.

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Photo Credit: Lester Cacho/Competitor Group