Once a year on a Sunday in Oct., Chicago comes out and truly showcases what makes the people of this city special. Regardless of how early in the morning it may be, runners flock to Columbus Drive in order to get to their corral, while people across the area try to get the perfect spot to cheer on their city. An event so vast brings together a large variety of people. And this year, a group of students stood among the corrals, ready to take on the famous 26.2 mile world major course.
On Oct. 12, the annual Chicago Marathon took place, and running with the program Students Run Chicago, Jones students Ariel Tvishor ‘26, Olivia Dorfman ‘26, and Gabriel Magallanes ‘28 successfully completed the race, an impressive feat in itself, but especially as high school students.
Students Run Chicago is a program that gives students the opportunity to run and train with others and offers the chance to compete in races such as the marathon.
“At the end of our sophomore year, there were people from Students Run Chicago who came to Jones, and at lunch, they were advertising the program, but at the time we couldn’t do it,” said Dorfman. “But then the next year, we signed up for the emailing list, and we got an email from them, and then we were like, we should try it.”
As part of the program, students met every Saturday to go on a long run together while doing training on their own throughout the week. Although it was difficult to get up early in the morning, their friendships provided a significant motivation boost.
“Part of this was a lot of Olivia. I would not have been able to do it without her,” said Tvishor. “The only reason I showed up every Saturday morning was because I made sure that she would text me, and she’d say, ‘Ariel, you coming to practice?’ And I would say yes I am.”
Tvishor and Dorfman initially didn’t think they would attempt the marathon, but they kept training with the group and when the time came, they decided to take on the challenge.
“I remember at the beginning, we were like, what if we actually run the marathon? We never really thought it would happen,” said Dorfman. “But Ariel and I never quit, and at one point SRC was like, it’s time to sign up for the marathon, so I guess we’re running a marathon.”
Magallanes was motivated to get into running by his sisters who had previously ran marathons, and began running over a year ago. Magallanes planned at first to only do the half marathon, until the passing of his father in June.
“Initially I was only going for the half marathon. But the thing is, my father passed away this summer, so that really influenced me,” said Magallanes. “That pushed me to go for the full marathon. That was my main cause.”
Despite the school year beginning during the peak of training, the student athletes managed to juggle both commitments.
“What I would do after school if I had time was just go to a gym, go on the treadmill, or maybe go to a park, you know, get a couple miles in,” said Magallanes. “Saturdays, I would always make sure to sleep early the day before so I can go on my long runs with SRC.”
When the marathon arrived, each student was ready for the culmination of their hard work to pay off.
“I loved running through all the different communities in the area, going from the north side to Pilsen to Chinatown, and you could immediately pick up on the different vibes in each area,” said Tvishor. “I loved seeing the support from the community and how invested everybody else was. I was actually taken away so much by the energy that I forgot to take any gels for the first 10 miles.”
Alongside seeing the rest of the city cheer them on, the runners had their families there to support them, making the moment even more special.
“My favorite part was definitely seeing my family after finishing, and also seeing them when I was running,” said Magallanes. “They always supported me and everything and it gave me motivation to keep going when I saw them.”
The piece of advice all three of the runners have for any students who want to run the marathon is simple: Just do it.
“The coaches told us at the beginning that the hardest part of the runs is getting out of your house. So just get out of your house,” said Dorfman.
The student athletes accomplished a feat that many only imagine doing when they are older, and all three of them are motivated to take on the challenge again some time in the future.
“We are running Chicago 2026,” said Tvishor. “Just keep running, and just keep getting better each time.”
