‘An Inspiration To Us All’: NJ Man To Run Marathons For St. Jude Children’s Hospital

HAZLET, NJ — A New Jersey man is giving back to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by taking on multiple races and marathons throughout the year.

Longtime Hazlet resident Anthony Paul Simonetti, 33, has been raising money for St. Jude through endurance events for several years; he told Patch.

To date, Simonetti has helped raise over $250,000 for the hospital, and this year, he’s set a personal goal of raising an additional $111,000.

As part of this effort, he’ll be taking on several “unusual and challenging races” throughout the year, including:

• The North Pole Marathon: A marathon at the geographic North Pole, an event limited to a very small field of roughly 200 runners.
• The Disney Dopey Challenge: Four consecutive days of racing totaling 48.6 miles.
• The Volcano Marathon on Easter Island: One of the world's most remote marathons.
• The Memphis Marathon: Holds special significance because Memphis is home to the St. Jude campus.

“Every race I do benefits St. Jude,” Simonetti said. “I don’t consider myself an actual runner, which might sound weird, but I do it for fun and for charity.”

Although Simonetti doesn't consider himself “an actual runner,” he’s already participated in multiple races and marathons over the years to benefit the children’s hospital.

Most notably, in 2026, he took part in the World Marathon Challenge, where participants run a full 26.2-mile marathon on each of the seven continents in seven consecutive days.

“It wasn’t easy. I’m not gonna say it was easy,” Simonetti told Patch after completing the challenge, which ran from the end of January through Feb. 6. “But I will say, I was one of the very few people who truly enjoyed every moment.”

• Read More: 'I'm Running For The Children': NJ Man Runs 7 Marathons On 7 Continents In 7 Days

Not only has Simonetti used these races to give back to St. Jude, but he’s also found hometown connections to his work, right here in Hazlet.

Shortly after completing the World Marathon Challenge in February, Hazlet Mayor Michael Sachs and the Township Committee issued a formal proclamation declaring March 10 as Anthony Simonetti Day.

Simonetti was then invited to Town Hall to celebrate the proclamation and his efforts to help kids in need.

“Anthony embodies the very best of our township. His selflessness and physical endurance serve as an inspiration to us all,” the township said. “It isn’t every day you meet someone willing to push their body to the absolute limit for the sake of a child they’ve never met.”

Today, Simonetti said he’s working with the township to organize a fundraising day in March, with the goal of uniting the community to support St. Jude and raise awareness of the work the hospital does for children and their families.

Simonetti is also working on a new initiative with St. Jude to start a Northeast Run team for the Nashville Marathon, which is part of the Rock and Roll Series and “jampacked with authentic Nashville music at every turn.”

For those who may be interested in joining the team, you can click here to learn more or register.

Beyond the Nashville Marathon, Simonetti also welcomes those interested in running other races for St. Jude to reach out and get involved. He can be contacted on Instagram here.

“It’s a good time to get involved at any time,” he said. “If people are interested, locally, I can definitely connect them with the right people.”

To learn more about fundraising efforts at St. Jude, you can visit their website. To donate to Simonetti’s fundraising page directly, you can click here.

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