June 18, 2024

Our Mercy Home Heroes kicked off the 2024 running season on Global Running Day in June with an informal 5K run through the thoroughfares of Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. They’ll travel these same streets on October 13, along with thousands of other athletes, during the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. But our Heroes will do it to raise support for our young people.

Mary Connolly, the manager of the Mercy Home Heroes Endurance fundraising program, believes that Global Running Day serves three purposes.

It’s a chance to celebrate the team, kick off training season, and to recruit runners for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. But for the second consecutive year, all of Mercy Home’s guaranteed spots for October’s marathon sold out before Global Running Day. This year, Mercy Home’s team consists of a record 474 runners.

“It’s incredible,” Connolly said. “We’re going to raise a lot of money for our kids.  Our goal is to raise $1 million this year. We’ve never surpassed that, but this is the year we can do it.”

Global Running Day is a world-wide celebration of the sport of running held annually on the first Wednesday of June. Mercy Home’s Global Running Day event gave our Heroes team members a chance to meet each other and celebrate the start of the training season with a short run around the West Loop. Mercy Home’s 5K route took the team members through part of the actual October marathon route as well so that they could get a glimpse of what the race looks like. The race passes by Mercy Home twice.

“My favorite part about global running day was getting to meet all the runners because I’ve talked to them on the phone and exchanged emails, but it was nice to put a face to the names,” Mirela Toncheva, coordinator of the Mercy Home Heroes program, said. “I also liked getting out and running with them.”

Also on hand to support the roughly 40 runners in attendance were representatives from the Chicago Area Runner’s Association (CARA), who operated an informational tent. CARA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for runners in the Chicago area. As our official training partner, CARA provides either in-person or virtual training for the Heroes team. 

Many of the attendees to our Global Running Day event also participated in the 2024 Bank of America Chicago 13.1 race the previous weekend. Throughout the next few months, the runners will turn their focus to longer runs and hitting their fundraising goals. 

The Mercy Home Heroes are an integral part of the Mercy Home family because they literally work miracles in the lives of our kids. Heroes participate in several running events, particularly the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, while raising funds that support programs for young people at Mercy Home. Because of their dedication, they make it possible for our kids to learn all the necessary skills to succeed both in school and in life.