Global Running Day Marks Start of Marathon Season at Mercy Home

June 26, 2025

A little rain didn’t stop our Mercy Home Heroes from celebrating Global Running Day and the start of the 2025 marathon season.

Typically, a highlight of the annual event includes a 5K run around Mercy Home in Chicago’s West Loop. The event kicks off our Heroes’ training process for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon by taking runners through part of the actual course, giving them a taste of what they can expect on race day this October. But because of the inclement weather, Mary Connolly, manager of the Mercy Home Heroes endurance fundraising program, quickly pivoted. 

The event was moved to our indoor soccer facility where our runners competed in a relay race, wrote personal affirmations, and enjoyed dinner together. 

“Global Running Day is certainly a celebration of the sport, but it also gives us a nice opportunity to signal the beginning of marathon training and the beginning of everyone’s official journey toward their marathon for Mercy Home,” Connolly said.

After last year’s marathon weekend Pasta Dinner featured a Mercy Home youth speaker, Connolly wanted to incorporate more of a mission moment at the Global Running Day event than she had in years past. Ulises, a 16-year-old living at Mercy Home, spoke to the crowd of roughly 60 people. 

“I wanted to work on my communication with my family and also get some space from them,” he said. “I like Mercy Home because there’s a lot to do here and plenty of opportunities to try new things such as going to White Sox games, learning to play basketball, and becoming a more independent individual.”

After Ulises’ powerful speech, the runners stuck around to meet other members of the team. For the third consecutive year, all of Mercy Home’s guaranteed spots for October’s marathon sold out before Global Running Day.  

“We have a very long waitlist,” Connolly said. 

This year, Mercy Home’s team consists of a record 524 runners, an increase of 50 from last year. Runners with their own bib are welcome to join the team and take advantage of all the other perks. Last year, Mercy Home’s marathon team raised more than $1 million.

“We’re going to raise a lot of money for our kids,” Connolly said.

Two of our partners, StretchLab and Dick Pond, set up stations inside the soccer building where they helped our runners after the relay race and displayed gear. Chicago Area Runner’s Association (CARA) and Revolution Physical Therapy are also partnering with Mercy Home for this marathon season.

Many of the attendees also participated in the 2025 Bank of America Chicago 13.1 race over the weekend.

The event was just the beginning for many of our runners, and it culminated with a taco truck, beverages, and raffle drawings of marathon and Mercy Home swag. Throughout the next few months, the runners will shift their focus to training and hitting their fundraising goals.

“It was so nice to meet the heroes face to face,” Nathan Tamayo, the Heroes Endurance Coordinator, said. “I’ve met everyone over the phone for check-in calls or to answer questions, but I finally got to connect their faces to their emails.”

Thank you to Mary Connolly, Jim Marrese, Nathan Tamayo, and everyone who helped make this year’s Global Running Day a success. You helped get our Heroes’ training journeys off on the right foot.