Posted: October 2, 2007

Athletics: Counting Down To The 30th Anniversary Lasalle Bank Chicago Marathon

30 Inspiring Stories in 30 Days Donna McCormack wanted to lose weight and along the way, a dear friend introduced her to the benefits and joy from running regularly. Margie encouraged Donna from a 2.5-mile race to The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, but along the way was diagnosed with cancer. Donna will run The 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in honor of her friend and constant cheerleader who will unfortunately watch the race from the sidelines. WHO: Donna McCormack AGE: 41 OCCUPATION: Nurse Practitioner / Loyola University Chicago Nurse Educator HOMETOWN: Orland Park, Illinois PREVIOUS MARATHONS: Debut RUNNER STORY: Donna McCormack is not a natural born runner. Yet just four years ago she found herself looking to running for help. After seeing herself in a recent photograph, she was disappointed in what she saw. She looked overweight and unhappy. She made a decision to lose weight and began a self-motivated diet. She easily lost the first ten pounds, but thinking she needed help to continue she joined Weight Watchers. With their system and her ability to stay on course, she lost another 30 pounds. Her success actually made her nervous. She was concerned that if she didn’t make some real changes in her life, she would constantly struggle to keep the pounds off her newly trim figure. She happened to be sharing her concerns with her co-worker and friend, Margie. Margie took the opportunity to suggest running as a method to help Donna in her plight. Margie’s positive attitude inspired Donna to give running a try. They both signed up to run in a 2.5 mile turkey trot nearby. She had never regularly run for exercise so she began slow, alternating city blocks with walking and running. She found that it was somewhat difficult at first, but eventually became comfortable in her routine. With her friend by her side she was astonished at her ability to run the entire 2.5 miles. Needless to say, it was not long before Margie was pushing her into running a 5K. Donna trained with her friend and managed to run a few more 5K races, building her up for a 10K. After completing the distance, Margie couldn’t resist the opportunity to suggest they run in a half marathon together. Once again, Donna succeeded in her goal and was finding that she was less surprised at her ability to perform so well. She decided she would take on a full marathon as a way of celebrating her 40th birthday. With Margie’s support, Donna looked into registering for the race. Unfortunately, the slots had already been filled and she took it as a sign that maybe she was not as prepared as she had thought. Donna put her thoughts of running in a marathon aside until this past October when Margie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Donna was devastated to hear that her friend was about to embark on the fight of her life. She felt helpless and scared. As she meditated on what she could do to support Margie, the most obvious idea popped into her head: it was time to run the marathon. As Donna began her training, her dear friend began chemotherapy. With every step she took, Donna thought of Margie. Though she cannot fight cancer for her friend, she knows that she can do the one thing that made Margie so happy; she can run in her place. Donna will run in The 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon as a tribute to her running partner. Though she is frightened of possible injury or failing to finish, she is determined to press on to the finish line for her friend. RACE INFORMATION: The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Sunday, October 7, 2007 as 45,000 participants advance to the start line, embarking on the culmination of 45,000 personal journeys. Along with the massive field of recreational runners, the 26.2-mile course will welcome a full field of world renowned professional athletes drawn to the flat, fast, urban setting and the potential to break world and national records. The professionals will compete for prize money and points in the World Marathon Majors series which will crown its first male and female champions with $500,000 each at the close of 2007. Since the inception of its charity program in 2002, The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon has generated more than $27.5 million for a variety of charitable causes including $9.5 million in the 2006 event alone. Registration for the race opened on January 1, 2007 and closed when it reached capacity on April 18. Donna’s story and all previously released runner stories are available at ChicagoMarathon.com. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest