Thousands of runners and volunteers are expected to flood Lebanon's streets this Saturday for the 2026 running of Sherry's Run, a 5K that has become one of Wilson County's biggest annual traditions in the fight against cancer. This year's race carries extra weight: organizers plan to honor Jayden Bailey, a Lebanon High School student who died in February 2026 after a years-long battle with cancer, by presenting his family with a memorial item during the event.
A Race Built on One Woman's Legacy
Sherry's Run held its first 5K in September 2004 and takes its name from Sherry Whitaker, who died from colon cancer in 2004, according to News Channel 5 Nashville. What started as a grassroots memorial run has grown into a fixture of the Lebanon calendar, with organizers this year expecting around 3,000 runners and volunteers to take part, per the station's report. Registration remains open until 8 a.m. Saturday, and the race will cause partial road closures in Lebanon that morning.
The 5K itself is only the most visible piece of a much larger mission. Sherry's Hope, the Wilson County nonprofit that grew out of the race, helps cover medical bills, prescription costs, house payments, rent, utilities, gas, and groceries for families navigating a cancer diagnosis, the article notes. That mission wasn't always the focus — when Sherry's Run began, proceeds initially funded national cancer research before organizers formally shifted course in 2008 toward direct financial aid for local patients, according to Sherry's Hope.
Honoring a Teen Who Inspired the Nation
A Lebanon High School basketball player, Bailey, had fought bone cancer for four years. Lebanon's City Council and Mayor Rick Bell officially proclaimed February 17 as “Jayden Bailey Day” to honor his resilience during his cancer battle, according to Main Street Preps. Bailey died on February 17, 2026. In March 2026, the National Federation of State High School Associations posthumously named him the national recipient of the 2026 National High School Spirit of Sport Award, after he returned to playing varsity basketball following a left-arm amputation and resumed shooting with his right hand just days after surgery, per the TSSAA.
For longtime participant Barbara Heston, Sherry's Run has meant something deeply personal for years. Heston has Sherry's Run shirts dating to 2002 and has participated in the race since its beginning, News Channel 5 Nashville reports. Her husband was diagnosed with stage four metastatic colon cancer in 2019 and died just a few months later, and Heston has said Sherry's Run reached out to her family during his illness. Heston told the station that thousands attend the race each year.
A Local Financial Lifeline Amid Rising National Concern
Sherry's Hope provides direct financial assistance to local families in Wilson County and surrounding communities struggling with cancer-related expenses, according to the Lebanon Good News Exchange. The organization officially rebranded its umbrella name from Sherry's Run to Sherry's Hope effective January 1, 2021, to better highlight that its patient assistance ministry runs year-round, while Sherry's Run remained the name of the September 5K itself; the change was announced in February 2021, per Sherry's Hope.
The 2019 edition of the race drew more than 3,500 participants, and the event address is 623 West Main Street, with more than 120 community and corporate teams competing in fundraising and spirit categories, Sherry's Hope has said. Beyond the September 5K, the organization also raises money through the Sherry's Hope Gala at the Farm Bureau Expo Center in Lebanon, which features live and silent auctions supporting local families in need.
Why the Cause Keeps Growing
The need behind the run reflects broader health trends. Colorectal cancer incidence in adults under 50 has risen by nearly 3% per year in recent years and is now the leading cause of cancer deaths among Americans in that age group, according to the American Cancer Society. Meanwhile, CDC public health records show Tennessee ranks among the higher states nationally for overall age-adjusted cancer mortality, with public health experts attributing the elevated regional rates to higher statewide prevalence of adult smoking and obesity.
Ahead of race day, a familiar tradition associated with the run includes green bows and a Paint Your Town Green initiative in Lebanon, signaling solidarity with cancer patients. For families like Heston's, and now for Jayden Bailey's, that green ribbon of support remains the clearest sign of how far a single memorial run has grown since 2004.
