Rylee's Run/Walk Virtual 5K

Rylee’s Run 5k commemorates the life of Rylee Rae Vinson, who was born August 16, 2007, at thirty-two (32) weeks and passed away eight (8) days later due to complications of premature birth. Rylee’s parents, Jason and Jessica Vinson, pillars of the Greater Memphis Soccer Association, established the RIBS soccer tournament in 2010 to help raise money for the charities that have meant so much to them over the last several years - the Le Bonheur Children's Hospital Neuroscience Institute and NICU.

To further honor Rylee’s memory and to repay the kindness and invaluable help extended to the Vinson family by these organization, Rylee’s Run 5k, held the Friday before the RIBS tournament, will serve to give back to these worthy causes, in the hope that they will continue to help families in situations similar to Rylee’s. We also hope these organizations may find additional ways to prevent prematurity so that “one day, all babies will be born healthy.”

When we started planning the 9th annual Rylee’s Run 5k last fall, we did not anticipate a global pandemic drastically changing our daily lives. Unfortunately, this year, we will be unable to stare out into a sea of friendly faces at the start line of our race at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. Instead, our (virtual) race day this year will look VERY different, but our commitment to our mission remains the same. The Le Bonheur Neuroscience Institute and NICU continue to experience great need despite the crippling effects of the novel coronavirus. Premature births and neurological disorders continue to occur, and we know that Le Bonheur is uniquely situated to help. Despite the uncertainty of our current environment, Le Bonheur still needs our support. We hope you will join us (and “bring” a friend) as we enter uncharted territory and adapt to a virtual Rylee’s Run 5k.

We realize that COVID19 has affected people in many different ways—some have lost jobs while businesses have closed their doors or suffered from lost profits. Recognizing that each participant’s situation is different, we want to ensure that no one is prevented from running or walking in the 2020 Rylees’ Run 5k. Therefore, our event this year is FREE to all who want to join us. If you are in a position to donate, we gladly welcome any and all contributions. Tax receipts will be sent to all who donate.

Anyone who donates $25 or more will have the option of receiving a commemorative Dri Fit t-shirt mailed to their home after the race (to fulfill social distancing practices). Our loyal sponsor Fleet Feet has generously offered to donate $50 gift cards to the overall male and female winners. We will also randomly draw finisher names from the 2020 results for door prizes generously donated by our sponsors. Finally, all 2020 participants will receive a unique discount code to apply to next year’s 2021 Rylee’s Run registration.

With helping children dear to our heart, we will open our virtual race on Mothers’ Day, May 10, 2020, and will close the event on Monday, May 18, 2020 (including the weekend that our 11th annual RIBS 7v7 charity soccer tournament would have been held). Once registered, we will provide you with details on how to upload your results to our page (take a photo or screenshot of your Garmin, your Strava, your old school stopwatch). Please follow our Facebook event at the following link or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, etc. We hope that you’ll snap a photo of something from your run and tag us so we can all unite for the greater good.

Despite all of the challenges and uncertainties we face today, one of the best ways to cope with stress is exercise. We can still enjoy the outdoors while practicing social distancing. Our hope is that you will take joy in challenging yourself—find an isolated road, track, or trail and give it your best! There is no entry fee, no roar of the crowd, no post-race party with Venice Kitchen pasta, and no race medals. We hope that you will run or walk with us in loving memory of Rylee Rae Vinson and all children who battle prematurity or in honor of Kayden Rylee Vinson and her fellow epilepsy warriors at Le Bonheur.