Marathon Weekend in our neighborhood has its own distinctive flavor. Rather than the typical crowds of tourists strolling around on a Saturday morning, runners are outside their hotels stretching and then taking off on a run, dodging pedestrians and cars. We are privileged to welcome dozens of those runners and their families each year to the 5:00 Mass Saturday evening for the Blessing of the Runners. What we see in River North, of course, is only a small slice of what goes on throughout our city in preparation for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Over 12,000 volunteers staff the 20 aid stations along the route that takes runners 26.2 miles through the many distinctive neighborhoods of Chicago. The Marathon is typically limited to about 45,000 participants, and that quota is reached many, many months before October. Over its long history, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for charity.

There is another city that I visited a few years ago holds its marathon in July. Typically fewer than 2000 runners apply to participate; so there is no need to register a year in advance. The record time for completing this marathon is a leisurely three hours and forty minutes, about an hour and a half longer than last year’s first place finisher in the Chicago Marathon. Why don’t more runners opt for this marathon? Well, as real estate developers constantly point out, “It’s about location, location, location.” This marathon begins and ends in the old mining town of Leadville in the Colorado Rockies. In contrast to the paved streets and almost level terrain of Chicago, the Leadville course offers a steady diet of steep climbs and uneven surfaces. Leadville, at 10,152 feet above sea level, is the highest incorporated city in our nation. Runners begin their run in this thin air two miles up and then are expected to climb even higher, crossing over the Mosquito Pass at 13,188 feet. The course takes runners along narrow mountain ledges and cuts through snow banks seven feet high. Runners are warned of the possibility of avalanches, falling off the trail, grizzly bear attacks, and snake bites (mishaps never known to occur at the Chicago Marathon). Those who complete the course get a free coffee mug. Why subject oneself to this torture? Finishers have said, “The gorgeous views take your mind off the pain” and “the feeling of accomplishment is incredible.”

Truly there is something about running that gets into the soul of runners, that those of us who only run when someone is chasing us will never completely understand. But that does not mean that runners cannot offer us non-runners some important lessons. The peacefulness that that runners discover when they get into the rhythm of running is not too far removed from the peacefulness we need to enter into deep meditative prayer. The discipline involved in training for a marathon is the same discipline that people of faith need if they are to advance in prayer, get rid of character flaws and sins, and contribute in a significant way to a service project or a charity. We will never get in shape for a marathon is we only run when the weather is just right, when we are feeling energetic, and when we have nothing else pressing to do. The same is true in the spiritual growth.

Fr. David Stavarz, a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland and a marathoner, notes that while running can be a very isolated activity, a marathon is not. The thousands who stand on the sidelines and cheer help elevate the runner to keep on going. In the spiritual life, that should be one of the functions of church. We cheer one another on and help us all elevate our game. He also points out that to complete a marathon, runners must maintain a proper form.  When one starts to tire and succumb to fatigue, the tendency is to let one’s form get sloppy, thereby making the task ahead even more difficult. That is why during times of fatigue and loss of energy, maintaining good form is even more essential. There is also a parallel with the spiritual life. “During times of desolation when we feel that God is distant, it is even more important to stay with our regular spiritual program,” be it Scripture, daily Mass, the rosary, or our volunteer work. Just as we will not always feel good running a marathon, we will not always feel close to God on the marathon of life. But that is no excuse to quit.

I convinced that St. Paul was an athlete early in life, because he makes so many references to running. In one of his talks recorded in Acts, he says, I want “to finish my race with joy, and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:24); “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win” (1 Cor 9:24) “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize, for which God, through Jesus Christ is calling us.” (Phil 3:15). St. Paul knew that by staying the course and finishing the race, we get a lot more from God than a coffee mug or a medal!

                             Fr. Joe