Attorney Mike Freed’s fifth annual Freed to Run will cross the finish line at about 4 p.m. Nov. 20 on the lawn in front of the Duval County Courthouse.
Freed to Run is six marathons in six days from the state Supreme Court in Tallahassee to Jacksonville. Each day’s stop, about 26 miles apart, is a county courthouse along the way with relay teams accompanying Freed on the run:
• Day one, Florida Supreme Court, Tallahassee
• Day two, Jefferson County Courthouse in Monticello
• Day three, Madison County Courthouse in Madison
• Day four, Suwanee County Courthouse in Live Oak
• Day five, Columbia County Courthouse in Lake City
• Day six, Baker County Courthouse in Macclenny to the finish line
Freed was joined on the first leg of the series by The Florida Bar President Mike Tanner and a relay team from VyStar Credit Union, which committed to fielding relay runners on every leg of the series.
The other relay teams, each of which has an individual fundraising goal, include Carithers Pediatric Group; Harrell & Harrell; Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association; The Florida Bar; Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow; the Solo and Small Firms Committee of the Jacksonville Bar Association; the Pro Bono Service Initiative of the University of Florida Levin College of Law; and two JALA teams, one from its board of directors and the other from its staff.
The race ends with a finale 5K from the Jacksonville Farmers Market to the Duval County Courthouse.
The marathon series raises money and awareness to support pediatric patients and their families facing legal obstacles that often impede their health outcomes.
In the past four years, Freed and his fellow runners helped JALA raise more than $1.5 million, with more than $400,000 raised in 2020 alone.
Donations increase the JALA Endowment for the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership. The Baptist Health Foundation matches donations by 125%.
Visit freedtorun.com to make a contribution to the endowment.