How did the day go in general?

I couldn’t have asked for a better day for a long run through the best city in the world (my hometown!). The weather was cool and partly cloudy, the course was spectacular (and flat!), and the crowds were outstanding. Great vibes for all 26.2 miles. The race also gave me the opportunity to raise more than $5,000 for the ALS Les Turner Foundation in Chicago, which has provided care to my grandmother, dad, and now my uncle as they have battled ALS.

What went well?

I started out at the exact pace I wanted to, and the first half of the race breezed by. I was born and raised in Chicago, and most of my family and many friends still live there, and so many of them came to cheer me on, which really kept me going.

What did not go so well?

I slowed down in the back half, particularly after mile 18. That’s when I really started feeling it in my quads, which I’m honestly surprised didn’t happen sooner. My wife, Caroline, and I welcomed our first child, a sweet little girl named Bridget, less than a month before the race. So, of course, this joyous event toon precedence over marathon training, and I was lucky to get in a tough 20-mile run before a brief taper.

How did you prepare for the event? Anything you would do differently in training?

I followed a 16-week, distance based training program from Runner’s World. I took about a week off in late July due to injury, and altered the end of the program when my daughter was born, but otherwise I was happy to stick to the plan. My only goal for marathons is to finish and not get injured, and this helped me get there. Of course, there’s always more cross-training I could do, but overall I wouldn’t really change anything about this training cycle.

Any notable moments?

All of the family and friends I got to see along the course, and especially FaceTiming with Caroline and Bridget as I crossed the finish line.

Any changes you would make to how you ran?

Not really. I wish I had more in the tank down the stretch to have kept up my pace, but overall I felt strong throughout and accomplished at the end. I set a PR of 4:45:35, shaving nearly 30 minutes off my only previous marathon, the 2022 Clarence DeMar Marathon in Keene.