Heroes Run Miles for the Mission

October 23, 2025

On October 12, when over 50,000 runners took to the streets of Chicago for the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, 524 dedicated Mercy Home Heroes ran among them. Every member of the team earned the title of Hero by dedicating the past six months or more to training and raising support for our work with young people and families.

As always, the highlight of the marathon route was the stretch of mile 17 along West Jackson Blvd. in Chicago’s West Loop known as the “Mercy Mile.” As runners passed by Mercy Home’s front door, they were welcomed with cheers from our enthusiastic and boisterous gathering of fans. 

Coworkers, youth, runners’ family members and friends, West Loop neighbors, and others lined up along the Mercy Mile, waving signs and making noise. Runners stopped to hug supporters before continuing their quest for the finish line. To herald the arrival of each Hero to the Mercy Mile, volunteers ran alongside them waving green flags with the Mercy Home Heroes crest as they made their way down the block.

For our runners, we don’t stick to just one Hero’s welcome, however. When our Heroes arrived at the official “Heroes Headquarters,” located in DePaul University’s student center in the Loop, they were greeted and congratulated by coworkers, volunteers, and loved ones before enjoying refreshments and complimentary massages from our friends at Revolution Physical Therapy.

After dinner, the Executive Director of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Carey Pinkowski, gave our Heroes more motivation and advice to help them succeed on Sunday. As always, we were honored that Pinkowski visited our pre-race event during the busy hours leading up to the big day. He also brought with him the CEO and President of the Boston Athletic Association, Jack Fleming, who offered our Heroes more encouragement for the big day.

Judah also shared that he now has a 3.8 GPA and plans to go to college. His parents are proud of him and their relationship has improved.

“They are proud of me for improving my grades and becoming more mature,” he said. “My parents trust me now. My teachers also have told me that I have changed for the better.”

Judah thanked our Heroes for their support of our Home before receiving a standing ovation from our supportive crowd of dinner guests.

After Judah’s speech, Connolly recognized our “Super Heroes,” the top 10 fundraisers, for their efforts. Mercy Home alum, Ambassadors of Mercy member, and veteran Hero Pat Zamkin took home the prize of the year’s top fundraiser, raising $28,535 for our young people. Zamkin has run ten marathons to support our Home!

And while running is often considered an individual sport, many of our Heroes raise funds in teams. Our top team, Ambassador of Mercy member John Pragalz’s team, Bad Johnny’s Good Runners, raised $30,718 for our Home. Other top fundraising teams included Live Fit Army, H2gO, Team Merithon, named in memory of Meredith Williams, and our own Mercy Home coworker team, who raised $8,411 for our young people this year. The dedication of these teams is remarkable, and we are so grateful for the difference they make in the lives of our kids.

This year also marked a special milestone in our Heroes program—its 15-year anniversary! Connolly thanked Board of Regents member and veteran Hero Jim Jenness for inspiring the idea that our marathon program had the potential to be a million-dollar fundraising platform. With his help, along with the encouragement of race director Carey Pinkowski and countless others, we have reached that goal and are looking forward to our next 15 years and beyond!

Connolly closed out the night with tips to make sure the marathon was a success for our runners, reminding them about the importance of rest and hydration, before sending them on their way with our gratitude.

On Sunday, our tireless Heroes were up before the sunrise to finally take on the challenge they spent so much time and energy preparing for. During their 26.2 mile run through the city, they were cheered on by thousands of spectators, with the biggest reception at our Mercy Mile. As they were greeted by coworkers, friends, family, and neighbors, they got the extra motivation they needed to finish the race strong. We are always glad to welcome friends to our Home to cheer on our Heroes.

It would be impossible to thank everyone who helped make this year’s marathon a success. But we do want to shout out our coworkers who ran this year’s marathon: Abraham Carreon, Debbie Watrous, and Kelly Jones. Their commitment to our mission is truly inspiring!

Thanks also to three members of Mercy Home’s boards who ran for the Heroes team this year: Pat Zamkin and John Pragalz (Ambassadors of Mercy), and Michael Lyons (Associate Board). A huge thank you to our coworkers and volunteers who worked long hours to make sure that the Heroes HQ, Mercy Mile, and Pasta Dinner were unforgettable experiences for our runners. Thank you to John and Janet Nitti for feeding our runners and their loved ones with another exceptional dinner. Thank you to our runners who dedicated their time, effort, talents, and countless hours training to support our young people.

Finally, a huge thank you to our Heroes Manager Mary Connolly and Heroes Coordinator Nathan Tamayo for their hard work recruiting, guiding, and leading our largest group of runners yet. Their efforts are the perfect example of the Heroes’ team motto: “No distance is too far to save a child.”