Most teachers are known for the way they run their classrooms, but these three teachers ran The Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and when they crossed that finish line it made a huge impact on their lives.
The Chicago marathon is a 26.219 mile long race that was established in 1977. It is held every October and is one of the six World Marathon Majors. The Chicago marathon is a flat and fast course that starts and finishes in Grant Park, and travels through some of Chicago’s most famous areas such as Chinatown, Lincoln Park, Old Town, River North and the West Loop.
Assistant Athletic Director and head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Caroline Gajzler, ran the Chicago marathon this October. She picked up running in her adulthood, running her first half marathon as a junior in college in 2017, her second in 2019 and the marathon this past year.
She said, “The training is 18 weeks and that gets very physically and emotionally challenging. But the actual race day is when it all comes together…the streets are packed with people and friends and family are cheering you on.”
Typically only 42,000 people run in the marathon, but this year a record breaking 52,000 runners participated. To Gajzler, being with so many people who have put in the same amount of dedication and hard work is rewarding to see and experience.
She said, “Crossing the finish line is something very indescribable. It all comes together after 18 weeks. There are lows to it because you do doubt yourself, but you overcome it… I think everyone is capable of doing it but you have to mentally develop yourself to the idea of it.”
Health and PE teacher Laura Burns picked up running in her adulthood. She was never a big fan of running, especially in high school, but learned how to overcome mental barriers as she ran more.
In 2023, Burns ran the Saint George marathon in Utah, but October 2024 was her first time running the Chicago Marathon.
She said, “My favorite part of running is being committed to something for such a long period of time and knowing that it is good for my body and mind. It helps me clear my thoughts and stay in shape.”
Running has so many benefits and even though it is difficult to Burns she still loves the commitment and feeling of finishing a run.
Until Burns was a junior in high school, she could never imagine herself running more than 3 miles even though she played soccer. But her PE teacher taught her to start slow and that there is a big mental barrier you have to overcome. You make yourself believe that you can’t do it but in reality you are fully capable you just have to put your mind to it, said Burns.
Although Burns does not plan on running the Chicago Marathon next year because of how big of a commitment it was, she is proud of herself and wants to try to find something new to participate in.
Director of Data Systems and Scheduling as well as head Coach of Cross Country, Mitchell Baum, has been a runner since childhood. Baum used to go to his brother’s baseball practices and run the bases while they would hit. He then began cross country in sixth grade and discovered he had a talent for running.
Baum ran his first marathon, the Chicago marathon, in 2018. After that marathon he qualified for the Boston marathon, but as he was training, COVID hit, putting a hold on marathons for a while. After COVID, Baum jumped right back into running. He ran the Chicago marathon three more times, The Boston marathon two more times and ran various marathons in countries like Japan, Spain and Hungary.
Baum has run so many marathons and dedicated so much time in hope to qualify for the Olympic trials.
Baum said he did not run the Chicago Marathon this year because “training at the level I was training and finishing the marathon in Spain, caused me to realize I need a full year to let my mind and body reset before I do another marathon” he said. Even though Baum did not run the Bank of America Marathon this year, he still cheered his friends on the sidelines and supported other runners.
Running any type of marathon comes with both physical and mental challenges.
