In Chicago’s running scene, there’s a place — and a pace

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons

In Chicago’s running scene, there’s a place — and a pace — for everyone

Whether an aftereffect of the pandemic lockdown or a counter-response to an increasingly digital world, running is becoming a place where many Chicagoans find community and togetherness.

Robert V. Ruggiero / Unsplash

By Jules Yaeger

Why are all your friends running a half-marathon? How come the park is swarmed with run clubs every weekend? Should you be waking up at the crack of dawn to get your miles in?

Running surged in popularity as a solo sport during COVID, and has burst onto the public scene in the years since. For example, the Chicago Marathon neared 50,000 runners in 2023, a threshold it’s expected to break this year.

Reset digs into Chicago’s rich running culture with three runners and organizers.

GUESTS: Tim Bradley, executive director, Chicago Area Runners Association

Beverly Lynch, owner of Running Excels

Sany Nguyễn, founder of Family Style Run Club