Onlookers at the Burbank Tennis Center cheer on Roy Wiegand during his July 4th Run For Christopher, during which the trumpeter and ultra-marathon runner ran 86 miles to benefit families and children suffering from cancer. All photos courtesy Roy Wiegand

Trumpeter and ultra-marathon runner Roy Wiegand runs 86 miles to benefit families and children suffering from cancer

by Linda A. Rapka

Christopher Wilke, the inspiration behind Roy’s Run for Christopher.

Fourth of July weekend to most of us means lazing around with family, friends and BBQ. But for Roy Wiegand, the holiday weekend was spent running 86 miles in the blistering summer sun in memory of a young cancer victim.

In honor of Christopher Wilke, a 12-year-old boy who died of cancer in March, the trumpeter and ultra-marathon runner ran his Run for Christopher all the way from Angels Stadium in Anaheim to the Michael Hoefflin Foundation in Santa Clarita, all to raise funds to benefit the families of children with cancer as well as the children themselves, in addition to child-cancer research. Continue reading →