With the hubbub of a record-breaking 50,000-runner Chicago Marathon this weekend, one runner — Matt Brusich — decided to race against just one competitor: Himself.
The Lincoln Park resident created what he called a “homegrown marathon,” running the iconic 26.2 miles within the space of his own city block the day before the actual marathon took place in the Windy City.
He was inspired on his daily dog walk around the neighborhood — from Cleveland Avenue to Dickens to Mohawk to Armitage, and back to Cleveland — with his Schnauzer, Fred, according to Runner’s World.
To reach the official marathon mileage, that would equate to nearly 80 laps around the block. Brusich was ready to lace up his sneakers, but he wanted to do something meaningful with the challenge.
“Aside from it being something silly and a training towards a physical fitness goal, I thought it would be neat to see my home block from a different perspective,” he writes on his (also very homegrown) website.
“And raise some awareness [and] funds for a good cause.”
That good cause? The Lincoln Park Community Shelter, a homeless shelter and nonprofit right in the heart of his community.
Gearing up for the race, Brusich received pledges from friends, family, and community members, and even managed to have the race sponsored by a local pizza joint: DiNucci’s.
The restaurant donated a portion of sales of a pie named after the runner “Matt’s Homegrown Hot Honey Hustle pie” to the shelter that day — and fed a number of unhoused community members in the process.
He also managed to get the event officially sanctioned by the U.S. Track and Field National Office.
By the time the race had been completed on Saturday, Brusich racked up about $11,000 in donations, and his pledge page now boasts over $12,000, as gifts keep pouring in after the fact.
“Thank you for your help… in supporting both me and a local effort and well-established charity,” Brusich wrote on his website. “It means more than you know.”
His final time was 5:51:57, but Brusich was intermittently slowed down throughout the day, as he took on themed challenges in order to celebrate fundraising goals, per reporting from Runner’s World.
About every 10 blocks he changed directions. In one lap, he dressed as a banana while another runner in a gorilla costume chased him. He took his dog for a run. He drank a can of Budweiser in exchange for a $100 donation.
And when it was all finally over, he finished his journey to the “Rocky” theme, while friends and loved ones cheered voraciously, showering him in confetti.
On his website, Brusich doubled down on his mission.
“I am beyond fortunate to call Lincoln Park my neighborhood, and at that owning such a beautiful home,” he wrote. “Whatever I can do to assist those in my community without such a home will never be enough, though it is important to try anyhow.”
Header image courtesy of Matt Brusich