October 22, 2024

Every October, Mercy Home appeals to athletes from all over the world to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon while raising support for our mission. This year, 474 “Mercy Home Heroes,” as they are known, answered the call as did thousands of donors who contributed to their efforts.

Yet as Eleanor Roosevelt once advised, one should never ask anyone to do something they weren’t willing to do themselves.

It’s in that spirit that each year that many of our coworkers who provide care for our young people also take on the challenge to help further the cause to which they dedicate their professional lives by running the marathon.

This year, three of our coworkers and one recent former coworker were among 50,000 intrepid athletes who wound through 26.2-miles of Chicago’s streets and neighborhoods on October 13.

The race was a first for Mercy Home coworkers Tasha Whitley, Kristin Olson, and Sarah Kelly, as well as former coworker Diana Cortes. And it was the culmination of months dedicated to training and to representing the organization to donors.

And even when the finish line was another 10 miles ahead, the runners reveled in the embrace of friends and the celebratory atmosphere of “The Mercy Mile” as the route passed our front door on West Jackson Boulevard on the city’s near West Side.

Kelly, a youth care worker, said that the mission and the enthusiasm she has witnessed on the Mercy Mile led her to join the Heroes team this year. “I was so inspired last year when I saw how many people were coming out to support Mercy Home,” she said. “I wanted to help spread awareness about the work we do here.”

“I’m excited to say I finished one,” said Whitley, a program manager at Mercy Home. “The vibes of the day are great, there’s a lot of people there supporting, and I obviously love the mission of Mercy Home and supporting them in other ways.”

Balancing training with work was challenging, as it is for any runner who must devote long hours outside of their jobs and family life. But like Mercy Home coworkers do in so many other areas, these Heroes teammates have been present for one another as they doggedly pursue a goal. Whitley said that she and Olson, a program manager, would often do sprint workouts at nearby Whitney Young High School, or run the lakefront with Cortes.

“It was really awesome having that support,” Whitley said.

Adding to Whitley’s motivation are some of our young people who lifted weights with her and ran with her outside to show their support for her marathon journey.

“It’s been cool [that they] joined in,” Whitley said. “And some of them have expressed interest in running themselves.”

On race day a number of our young people were on hand to cheer on Whitley and all of our Heroes as they passed by our Home near Mile 17, encouraging them to take on the final miles of the 26.2 mile event.

“They’re a great crew,” I think about them when I’m doing this.

While Olson came to the team with solid running experience, having run cross country in high school and at Ithaca College in New York State, she agreed with how helpful it has been that the coworkers could hold each other accountable during training and credited the others for inspiring her to take on her first marathon.

“100% I wouldn’t have done this if they hadn’t done it,” Olson said. It’s been really awesome,” she added “just encouraging each other.”

Olson said she has also looked for ways to strike the necessary balance between ensuring she’s prepared to complete the race and her professional and personal obligations. “In all honesty, being a manager and running the marathon has been very, very hard.”

To help maximize the time she has to prepare, she has incorporated biking and walking to work into her overall training regimen.

And while Kelly also noted the challenge of balancing work and training, she also cited the benefits she’s enjoyed along the way that actually help her in her job.

“I think for me running has always been a great outlet to decompress and reset,” she said. “Long runs have been a nice way for me to get outside and call friends and family, listen to an audio book, or catch up on a podcast.”

What Kelly learned in her training journey not only helped her on race day, it also served as a good example for our kids as well. “What I’ve found with marathon training (as well as working as Youth Care Worker), is that there’s some weeks you can’t complete everything. But showing up and doing what you can is the best approach.”

Like the others, Kelly knew that all of those long hours would pay off on race day, but that it would be the energy of this one-of-a-kind experience and of the Mercy Mile that that got her to the finish line ultimately.

“Seeing friends and family along the course is always a great motivator,” she said. “Plus a well curated playlist for when things get tough around mile 17.”