Paul Robinson works as the deputy head of programs at Chicago Cred, an anti-gun violence organization co-founded by former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and president of the social-impact organization Emerson Collective.
Robinson is always visible in the communities the organization serves. He encounters people with PTSD, finds housing for the program’s homeless participants and travels across the city to its eight locations. The stress of the job took its toll.
“I was putting on a lot of weight, about 30 pounds,” Robinson said. “Truthfully, it was at a point where I was in a meeting and had to undo my buckle under the table because my pants didn’t fit and I couldn’t breathe. I was at a point where I was just getting very unhealthy and having trouble sleeping and could feel the weight of the work bearing down on me.”
In 2019, Robinson participated in a marathon to shed some weight and dart down a path toward a healthier lifestyle. He found running was cathartic in a sense. It has become a part of his daily routine. As he began running, he grew fond of the activity and set out to run in the 2023 Chicago Marathon. The marathon also provides mental relief for participants.
“The reason I’ve kept running now for four years straight is really more the mental aspect,” Robinson said. “I find that by the time I come back from the run, I feel like I’ve released some energy and cleared my mind. There are a lot of unexpected things that come up every day in this work, and sometimes they’re tragedies, but I’m in a better headspace to deal with those.”
Glenn Eden, who is the board chair for Choose Chicago, had similar motivations for running the marathon as he was approaching 40 in 2009.
“This marathon allows people to reset whatever it is they want in their life,” Eden said. ‘‘Everyone runs with some kind of purpose.”
Robinson isn’t one of the professional runners aiming for the Olympics or trying to break course records, but he said he does want to complete the marathon. To run a marathon, you must have a competitive spirit to slog through the 26.2 miles.
Monica Puig isn’t an amateur athlete: She has competed at Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the U.S. Open and the French Open. Puig retired from tennis in April last year at 28 because of three shoulder injuries. Without the sport she loved, she said she was lost.
“When you have an injury to your arm as a professional athlete, there’s not much you can do,” Puig said. “I found a lot of comfort in running, and it would help me take my mind off the hardship of being an athlete struggling with a really bad injury.”
Puig has developed an affinity with endurance athletes because “they’re hungry for pain and discomfort.” She’s fond of the crowds at marathons, whether they’re cheering for her or someone else.
She has competed in the New York, Boston and London marathons and hopes to complete the six major marathons and receive the Six Star medal from Abbott World Major Marathons. Running has provided her with post-tennis fulfillment. It helped her deal with the sorrow of career-ending injuries.
Many compete in this event with the Olympics in mind, but the Chicago Marathon provides an outlet for others who simply want to feel a sense of accomplishment from completing the grueling race.
