Nearly 700 Run, Raise $30K for Hospice

Nearly 700 runners and walkers gathered in Waldorf on Sept. 12 for the St. Charles Running Festival, helping generate close to $30,000 for Hospice of the Chesapeake while competing in 5K and 10K races.

The festival, presented by Lennar, started and finished at Regency Furniture Stadium and was followed by the Taste of Southern Maryland food truck festival. Hospice of the Chesapeake returned as the event’s official charity partner for a second year, with money raised supporting patients and families in Charles County who are facing serious illness and grief.

The fundraising total represents substantial growth from the partnership’s first year. The 2025 festival generated a little more than $13,000 for Hospice of the Chesapeake through participant contributions and sponsorship support, according to the organization.

This year’s event brought that figure to nearly $30,000 with the support of nearly 700 participants and several sponsors, according to Hospice of the Chesapeake.

“The generosity we saw today will go straight to the patients and families who rely on us,” said Heather Marchese, director of philanthropy. “We’re grateful to every runner, volunteer and sponsor who showed up for this cause, and we’re especially thankful to Corrigan Sports Enterprises, and its president Lee Corrigan, for including Hospice of the Chesapeake once again as the official charity partner. We’re already looking forward to continuing this tradition again next year.”

The event’s fundraising supports Hospice of the Chesapeake’s work in Charles County. The organization said ahead of the festival that it serves nearly 85 patients and families in the county each day and uses donor support to help provide care regardless of insurance coverage or the complexity of a patient’s needs.

Competition began with runners taking on the festival’s courses through the St. Charles community.

Eric Song won the men’s overall 10K title, finishing in 40 minutes, 18 seconds. Emmaline Pendleton was the women’s 10K champion with a time of 43:14.

In the 5K, Ibrahim Al Qaabil won the men’s overall title in 20:34, while Sheri Wilson was the top female finisher with a time of 26:18.

The festival is designed around both the races and a broader community gathering. Organizers describe the course as a flat route through St. Charles, with participants returning to Regency Furniture Stadium for the post-race celebration. The event’s official site lists both the 5K and 10K as benefiting Hospice of the Chesapeake.

Registered runners also received admission to the Taste of Southern Maryland celebration, which featured regional food and beverages following the races.

The Southern Maryland Chronicle reported in 2025 that Hospice of the Chesapeake had been selected as the festival’s official charity partner as part of an effort to expand its fundraising presence in Charles County. That first partnership followed an event the hospice organization operated on its own in 2024.

Hospice of the Chesapeake returned for 2026 after the inaugural partnership raised $2,160 through direct participant contributions and more than $13,000 overall when sponsorship support was included.

This year’s sponsors included Premier Sponsor the Brian and Patricia Giese Foundation; Community Partner and Finish Line Sponsor University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center; Champion Sponsor Waldorf Toyota; and Stride Sponsor SMECO.

Those sponsors were also identified by Hospice of the Chesapeake before race day as supporters of the organization’s 2026 partnership with the festival.

The St. Charles Running Festival is organized by Corrigan Sports Enterprises. The race has developed into an annual combination of recreational competition, charitable fundraising and a community food festival centered at the Waldorf stadium.

Hospice of the Chesapeake provides hospice care, supportive care and grief services for people and families dealing with serious illness and loss. The organization has operated for more than 45 years and says it has served more than 65,000 patients and 100,000 family members during that time.

For the St. Charles event, organizers also offered participants the ability to run or walk in memory of a loved one and create personalized tribute shirts. Hospice officials described the option as a way for people who have experienced a loss to combine remembrance with participation in the community fundraiser.

The nearly $30,000 raised this year continues a sharp increase in support since Hospice of the Chesapeake became the festival’s charity partner and establishes a higher fundraising benchmark as organizers plan to continue the partnership in 2027.