Chicago Spring Half Marathon sees thousands of runners mark personal bests, including 18-year-old cancer survivor

Chicago Tribune

18-05-2025

Thousands of people poured into downtown Sunday near Butler Field for the Life Time Chicago Spring Half Marathon. The event, now in its 16th year, is an opportunity for Chicagoans to celebrate spring in the city — and for runners far and wide to test their abilities and mark new personal achievements.
The runners represented 48 states and 33 countries, with many waking up bright and early to participate in either the half marathon or the 10K. Friends and family showed up as well to cheer on their loved ones on the cool, overcast morning, some with signs that read 'One step at a time you've got this,' 'Run like Joe Jonas is at the finish line' and 'ChatGPT can't help you with this one.'
The course started on Columbus Drive, south of Monroe Street and followed the Lakefront Trail, providing runners with a scenic waterfront view of the iconic Chicago skyline.
Joosim Song, 35, said he enjoyed the view, but was absorbed by the task at hand.
'I can't really focus on it because I'm running so hard,' the Arlington Heights resident said. But in the end, it all paid off — Song said he got a new personal record in the half marathon, finishing at 1 hour and 19 minutes.
Samantha Hanson, 28, also beat her record at the half marathon, coming in at 1 hour and 18 minutes. The Minneapolis resident is the women's champion for the half marathon, but when it was all over, there was just one thought on her mind.
'I'm just really glad to be done,' she said.
For some runners, the race was an opportunity not just to beat personal records but also a chance to mark the challenges they overcame.
Jared Appel does not consider himself a runner. The 18-year-old from Plymouth, Minnesota had not even ran a 5K before, let alone a 10K race. But after going through six months of chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma, which forced him to put his life on hold, Appel wanted to do something to get his life back on track. Going to the gym was one of the few things he could do to get out of the house during his treatment, and just as his treatment wrapped up, he saw an advertisement for the half marathon at his gym.
'So far, I've been able to work my way up from being able to barely run a mile,' Appel said. 'I've done the whole 10K twice, once on a treadmill, once outside.'
He was excited to prove to himself and his friends that he could run the entire course. He ended up doing just that, only taking a few 30-second walk breaks throughout.
'The fact that I was able to run that distance alone was something I never thought I'd be able to do,' Appel said. 'I never thought I would run for more than 10 minutes without panting so hard.'
But by the time he finished the race, Appel said he was a little disappointed. He was seconds away from finishing the 10K in under an hour, but ultimately finished at 1 hour and 16 seconds.
Sunday's race was also a challenge for Becky Allen of Wonder Lake, who said she had never run a half marathon before. She was a little nervousand considered dropping out, but ultimately stuck with it.
The half marathon was another way for the 44-year-old to mark how far she has come from four years ago when she weighed 300 pounds. She has since lost that weight through a combination of weight loss surgery and exercise.
'In my past, had enjoyed running but just never really stuck with it,' said Allen, who ran cross country for a short time in high school. 'But after I lost the weight and got much more active, I decided that I enjoyed running.'
Allen said her sister and brother-in-law run a lot of 5Ks, and after Allen got back into running, she started joining their runs.
'I would go with my sister, and we would walk them before I lost the weight,' she said. 'And then as I got more active, and I was working out every day, and I lost the weight, all of a sudden, I was keeping up with my brother-in-law. I always had this goal: 'Someday I'm going to beat him.''
And finally, Allen did. Now her sister does not want to run 5Ks with her anymore because she runs them too fast, Allen said.
'A half-marathon is a really big jump for me. I probably should have gone to a 10K first,' Allen said. Regardless, she was still excited to put her best effort into the race, and ended up finishing in a little over three hours.