The 18-hour event is the university’s largest student-run philanthropy and generates money for and the

The dynamic event, which included themed hours, karaoke and sports tournaments, kicked off Friday at 6 p.m. and ended at noon Saturday with the heartwarming reveal of the total amount raised. As students on stage flipped signs showing the total of $516,485.76, the crowd of students, patients and supporters erupted in a massive celebration.

The funds raised from the 2024 dance marathon brought the cumulative total over the event’s history to more than $5 million.

Read more about this year’s event.

It was the ninth year students from the School of Medicine have participated in the UofL chapter of Medals4Mettle, running the Derby Festival races in honor of patients in the UofL Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation. This year, students from graduate programs and the School of Dentistry also participated.

Julie Klensch, a fourth-year medical student, presented her miniMarathon medal to Audrey Nethery in a special ceremony following the races. Klensch has run all four years for Nethery, an 8-year-old with Diamond Blackfan Anemia, a rare genetic syndrome that causes her bone marrow to produce too few red blood cells.

Running has become an important stress reliever for Klensch during her years in medical school, but she says she is even more grateful for the relationship she has built with Nethery and her family.

“When it’s raining or I don’t want to run some days, I remember that I could be in treatment for years for a condition that’s out of my control,” Klensch says. “It helps me remember the bigger picture of the people we are treating. It has shaped how I will do things and treat patients as a physician.”

(M4M) is an international organization that allows endurance athletes to donate their awards to critically ill individuals in honor of their courage in the face of life-threatening illnesses. The UofL program helps health professional students see the struggles of the children and their families who are dealing with cancer and life-threatening diseases, giving them a deeper understanding of the patients they will treat as practicing physicians.

This year’s UofL Medals4Mettle program was supported by Stock Yards Bank and Trust, Pacers and Racers, Pure Barre, Home Fit, 413 fitness and UofL Pediatrics. 

Though Medals4Mettle (M4M) is an international organization, the UofL School of Medicine M4M program is unique in that the students have the opportunity to meet with their buddies prior to the race and personally present their medals to them after running. This year, 87 medical students will participate. On the Thursday prior to Derby each year, the Kentucky Cancer Program at UofL hosts a Cancer Survivors Celebration at the Kosair Charities Clinical & Translational Research Building. After the celebration, survivors walk to Broadway together to attend the annual Pegasus Parade. from last year’s event, including comments from UofL President James Ramsey.

This year, UofL basketball players Damion Lee and Trey Lewis, both graduate transfers who played for the Cardinals this season, will serve as honorary grand marshals for the annual Pegasus Parade, which marches down Broadway on May 5 beginning at 5 p.m. The parade in past has included UofL-affiliated grand marshals such as coach Rick Pitino, the 2013 Men’s and Women’s basketball teams, and NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, a former UofL quarterback.

Also this year, the 2016 Kentucky Derby Queen, , is a junior at UofL majoring in Business Finance. She is joined on the Royal Court by another UofL student: Stephanie Dooper, a senior majoring in Political Science and Liberal Studies.

UofL even houses those who protect the revelers during the week’s events. Julie Weber, director of campus housing, said about 50 Kentucky State Police officers will stay in Unitas Hall during the long weekend. In the past, members of the National Guard have also used campus accommodations. New this year, about 20 employees from NBC Sports will be staying at the Arch Apartments, one of UofL’s affiliates. “They were just trying to find something close and affordable for their large crew who are working 16 to 17 hours a day,” she said. “For state agencies or other service-type organizations, we’re happy to do it. It’s not a big money maker for us, we’re just doing our part to support the Derby.”

Other Derby ties

Some other Derby-esque traditions at UofL include a Derby Lecture Series hosted by the Chemistry Graduate Student Association. This year’s lecture features Alan Heeger, a Nobel Prize winner in 2000, presenting two lectures – one scientifically technical lecture May 9, and one geared toward a general audience on May 10.

The Department of ����ֱ��al Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development will host a Derby Party May 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Mary Bingham Room in the University Club. It includes a contest for best hat and Derby attire.

Finally, it wouldn’t be the Derby without a party, and Cardinal alums from San Francisco to Philadelphia take care of that. A complete list of UofL Alumni chapters hosting Derby parties is .