WIU Alum Raises $12K for Charity, to Support Father, in Boston Marathon

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Scott Knupp's father, LeRoy, spent a good chunk of last Monday cheering at the Boston Marathon. The younger Knupp (pictured here April 18 in the Boston Marathon)—who graduated from Western Illinois University in 2000 with a degree in agriculture business and in 2007 with a Master's in Business Administration (MBA)—was thrilled to have his dad in Boston, rallying for him as he took on the daunting "Heartbreak Hill" and the rest of the Boston Marathon course. After all, as a charity runner for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Knupp was running in the renowned race to support his father, a lymphoma survivor.
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WIU Alum Raises $12K for Charity, to Support Father, in Boston Marathon

April 21, 2016

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MACOMB, IL — Scott Knupp's father, LeRoy, spent a good chunk of last Monday cheering at the Boston Marathon. The younger Knupp—who graduated from Western Illinois University in 2000 with a degree in agriculture business and in 2007 with a Master's in Business Administration (MBA)—was thrilled to have his dad in Boston, rallying for him as he took on the daunting "Heartbreak Hill" and the rest of the Boston Marathon course. After all, as a charity runner for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Knupp was running in the renowned race to support his father, a lymphoma survivor.

"In 2014 my dad was diagnosed with lymphoma. He completed six months of chemotherapy treatments and is doing great today. Unfortunately, there is no cure for lymphoma. It is something he has to live with and likely will have to fight again in the future," Knupp said. "I did it to show my support for him and raise money for a great cause."

And raise money the younger Knupp did. He surpassed his original $10,000 fundraising goal and raised just more than $12,000. While his overall time wasn't what he wanted it to be, it was a personal best for him (he completed the race in four hours and four minutes, an eight-minute improvement on his best time for a marathon). He said the race experience was "awesome," noting that spectators lined the roads the entire 26.2 miles of the course.

"The course itself was more challenging than I had expected. You hear about the famous 'Heartbreak Hill,' but, really, most of the course is rolling hills with only a few miles of level roads. The cumulative effect of running those hills was more than I was prepared for, so I was 20 minutes off my expected finish time. But my finish time is really irrelevant in the big picture. My main goal was to raise money and show my support for my dad. I was part of a group of 80 runners who raised more than $900,000 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. And it was great to have my dad there to watch me run and cheer for me along the way," Knupp said. "The money raised through events like this funds research that has lead to treatments for my dad and millions more like him. To everyone who donated, I can't possibly thank you enough. Your donations truly do make a difference people's lives."

Knupp currently works in Macomb as the vice president of 1st Farm Credit Services. While a student at Western, he was a member of the track and field team, served on the Interfraternity Council and was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.