Last November, McCormick sophomore Cate Mathews and her friends entered the lottery for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon as a “funny, mutually-assured-destruction plot.” 

Mathews received an acceptance email the following month, but she was the only one who got one — meaning she’d have to run without her friends. 

“It was sort of a mutual, ‘Let’s talk ourselves into doing this crazy thing,’” Mathews said. “I was the only one who had to end up doing the crazy thing.”

Mathews is one of several NU students who participated in the race this year. More than 40,000 runners took on the 26.2 mile-trek, which began Sunday in Grant Park. 

This was Mathews’ first full marathon. She particularly enjoyed the training process for the race, which she said was an engaging mental and physical challenge. Though she competed in high school cross country, Mathews said she was never an accomplished runner. 

“This has been a cool experience, to say, ‘It doesn’t matter what pace I’m going and it doesn’t matter how much skill I have coming into this — I’m a runner,’” Mathews said. “It was an excuse to see how committed to this one project (I can) be.”

Though she had to run the race alone, Mathews said her friends helped with her training. She motivated herself by pushing toward a personal goal, but didn’t have ambitions for a particular time. Instead, she said she just wanted to finish. 

Weinberg senior Lucy Gund ran to fundraise for the Chicago chapter of Girls on the Run. The organization provides programming for elementary and middle school students, aiming to build confidence, kindness and decision-making skills. 

“Athletics was really central in my life, and (I) definitely learned so many valuable skills and valuable lessons from it,” Gund said. “Being able to provide those opportunities to young girls across the country, it’s such a great organization and I’ve always wanted to get more involved.”

Bienen senior Alex Carroll ran for the American Cancer Society. Cancer has deeply impacted his life: he lost three of his grandparents to cancer, and a high school role model died from stomach cancer last spring. 

To fundraise, Carroll spoke to professors after class, discussed with friends and more. By the time he ran, he had fundraised more than $2,750.

Carroll, who plays double bass, said he sees connections between music and running, such as their requirements for body awareness. 

“When I try to go faster — when I try to play bass so hard, really grip these strings — that doesn’t work,” Alex Carroll said. “I had one run that I felt really sick afterwards just because of how hard I tried. That’s not the way you do it. Your body will take care of things.”

Carroll’s older sister Elizabeth coordinated a watch group for her brother’s run. She said she was proud to see her brother race for the American Cancer Society. 

The running community ultimately brings people together, she said, which the marathon also reflects as a whole. 

“Everybody’s working toward a goal,” Elizabeth Carroll said. “(It’s amazing) to be able to support people while they do that, whether it’s finishing the first mile or finishing 26.2 miles.”

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @JessicaMa2025

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