All Things Are Possible

October 23, 2025

Watrous was inspired to participate in triathlons when she saw the Chicago Triathlon on television for the first time.  

“I decided that day, if I could learn to swim that I would try to do it,” she said. “I signed up for [swimming] lessons the next day [at University of Illinois Chicago], and I did my first sprint triathlon nine months later.” 

More recently, she competed in the Chicago Triathlon SuperSprint, which is a 410-yard swim at Foster Beach in the Edgewater neighborhood, a 6.2-mile bike ride, and a 1.5 mile run on the scenic Chicago Lakefront Trail.  

“It’s [all] about seeing if I can do it,” Watrous said.  “And also, it’s a fair amount of therapy for me. I definitely do it to clear my mind.”   

Even though she enjoys setting the bar higher with each event, Watrous still has moments where it feels overwhelming. 

During a Ragnar Trail race, she had to run the trail in the rain at 3 a.m., with only a headlamp to light the way. Despite the low visibility, she remained poised and finished the race.  

Watrous has learned valuable lessons from training and competing that she applies to other areas of life.  

“[Competing taught me that] I can only worry about where my headlamp [shines],” she said. “I can only worry about this mile that I’m running now, [and] I can only worry about what’s right in front of me and what I’m doing now.” 

All of that hard work and determination prepared Watrous to take on the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon as Mercy Home Hero this past October.  

“I believe in Mercy Home and being able to raise money for [the Home],” she said. “There’s something about running for charity where it makes your training just seem to feel more important.” 

Since 2002, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon’s official charity program has generated more than $358 million for local, national, and global nonprofits. The program allows participants to raise funds for an affiliated cause through their participation in the race. Last year, the program set an event record, with runners raising $36 million. Mercy Home has fielded its own official team in the marathon, the Mercy Home Heroes, since 2010. This year’s team of 524 was the Home’s largest ever and represents the second largest local charity team in the event.   

On October 12, Watrous leaned on her training and past experiences with endurance races to succeed. Her friends and coworkers were among the masses gathered at Mercy Home’s West Loop Campus to cheer her on toward the finish line. We are grateful to Debbie Watrous and all our coworkers and Heroes that go the extra mile for our kids.