Front and Center: Selena Daniel
Published on Monday, March 10, 2025
By: Annie Oeth, aoeth@umc.edu
Selena Daniel directs more than the business operations of the UMMC Department of Pediatrics. She’s race director for Run the Rainbow for Children’s, a marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K run she originated in 2023. This year’s run is set for March 15, and registration is now underway.
Not only has the USA Track & Field-certified event helped raise awareness for Children’s of Mississippi and UMMC, but it also raises thousands of dollars for the state’s only children’s hospital.
“I had always dreamed of Children’s of Mississippi having a race,” Daniel said. “Other children’s hospitals have races that raise funds and awareness, and Children’s of Mississippi should have one, too.”
Run the Rainbow's 10K, half marathon and marathon routes take runners through Jackson, the UMMC campus and the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at Children’s of Mississippi.
“We have a beautiful campus, and I think Run the Rainbow for Children’s lets runners see the beauty of Jackson and the Belhaven and Fondren neighborhoods,” Daniel said.
An avid runner, Daniel approached Jen Hospodor, senior director of strategic partnerships at UMMC’s Office of Development and Alumni Engagement, about the possibility of a run in 2022. They then reached out to Malcolm White, founder of Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade, which had a 5K at its start prior to 2020.
The inaugural Run the Rainbow for Children’s was held March 18, 2023, the Saturday prior to Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade, kicking off a week of celebration culminating with the parade. This also gave runners room downtown for parking and space for a run after-party at Hal and Mal’s.
Starting as a half marathon, 10K and 5K, Run the Rainbow for Children’s added a marathon route in 2024 and became U.S. Track & Field certified, meaning the race can help runners qualify for marathons such as the Boston Marathon.
“We’ve attracted runners from all 50 states and beyond,” Daniel said.
The 2024 Run the Rainbow for Children’s raised $135,975 and attracted 1,500 runners and walkers. The 2025 race has more than 1,500 registered so far. The first Run the Rainbow raised just over $89,000.
White said the growth in the run’s popularity has been phenomenal, due in no small part to Daniel’s efforts.
“Selena is a pure force for good and a blessing to us,” he said. “The run has created a second week of celebration, doubled our outreach and compounded our fundraising for Children's of Mississippi. She is a wizard and a wonder, and we’re delighted she has come our way.”
Run the Rainbow for Children’s is for everyone, Daniel said. “We want this to be a people’s race, and I think there’s something for everyone.”
The distances available can suit all levels of runners as well as walkers, and the event also has plenty of opportunities to volunteer. Among the volunteers are Children’s of Mississippi patients and their families, who cheer on runners as they pass the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower.
Nikita Roberts and daughter Lundyn volunteer each year to remind runners why Run the Rainbow is important.
“I thoroughly enjoy cheering on the runners,” Roberts said. “Seeing the smiles on their faces, when they see the patients and their families holding signs and encouraging them, warms my heart. Those runners are true heroes.”
Lundyn, a patient ambassador for Children’s of Mississippi, was born with Aicardi Syndrome, a rare genetic condition characterized by the partial or complete absence of the corpus callosum of the brain, and Dandy-Walker syndrome, a rare congenital brain malformation.
Jessica Overby of Flowood and sons Nathan and Owen plan to cheer on runners again this year, too.
“Nathan loves entertaining people in general, and for this run, he loves encouraging the runners and cheering them on as they raise funds for the children’s hospital,” she said. “It’s very similar to the encouragement and cheering on he received from Children’s of Mississippi when he had his last MRI. He succeeded in getting his scan without sedation, and everyone was so proud!”
Owen, a baseball player, “is used to being the athlete, and this offers him the opportunity to cheer on others.”
The Overby brothers are also Children’s of Mississippi patient ambassadors this year. Owen was diagnosed with viral meningitis as an infant and benign familial macrocephaly, and older brother Nathan has neurofibromatosis (Nf1) and chronic Chiari malformation, a condition in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal.
Arriving at UMMC 14 years ago, Daniel first worked with the National Children’s Study through a grant. She then moved to pediatric cardiothoracic surgery and later neurology before coming to the Department of Pediatrics.
Daniel ramped up her running after starting in her 30s, setting challenging personal goals each year. This year, she plans to run a 50K race in April, a 50K in July and a third 50K in October.
The ultra runner checks out the routes of Run the Rainbow by running them herself “more times than you can count,” she said. “We want it to be fun and enjoyable.”
2025’s Run the Rainbow will include five bands along the course plus a DJ, and the Jackson Roller Derby will be skating along the routes and at the finish line. The overall male and female winners of the marathon this year will receive a full set of tires from Continental Tires, race sponsor, in addition to bragging rights.
A course full of rolling hills, cheering sections and musical interludes awaits, she said. “Once you participate as a runner, walker or volunteer, you’ll want to be a part of it again. Those who have been a part of Run the Rainbow for Children’s before feel like the race belongs to them.”