Chicago Marathon: A Journey of 26.2 Miles of Memory
by Dr. Maria Bendeck
Sometimes returning to a place from your past is the best way to recognize how far you have come.
As I head to Chicago for my sixth Chicago Marathon, I am filled with memories and a deep sense of pride. Chicago is more than another stop on my marathon journey. It is where I spent some of the most formative years of my life, first as a medical student and then as an intern learning how to care for patients, make difficult decisions, and find strength I did not yet know I had.
Chicago was a place that could make you or break you. Medical training was demanding, especially in the old days of long hours, early mornings, and nights on call. I still remember my first night as an intern, suddenly responsible for multiple very sick patients. There was no easing into it. You learned to think, to act, and to keep going even when you were tired and uncertain
Perhaps that is why marathon running has come to feel familiar.
I am a back of the pack runner. My marathons take six hours or more, and I have learned that there is something powerful about settling into the long work of 26.2 miles. A marathon teaches you to become comfortable with discomfort. There are moments of fatigue, doubt, and unexpected challenge, but there are also moments of reflection and strength. At the finish line, I often feel stronger than when I began.
That is life, too. We grow through the moments that ask more of us than we thought we could give.
One of my favorite parts of the Chicago Marathon course is running down LaSalle Street. I always pause when I pass 1250 LaSalle, where I lived during my third and fourth years of medical school. It has become an obligatory selfie moment, but it is also much more than that. I look up toward my old balcony and remember the young woman who lived there.
Back then, I was only casually interested in fitness. I took spinning classes when I had time, but running was not part of my identity. Some of my classmates ran the Chicago Marathon, and the course passed right by my building. I would see runners streaming past from my balcony and wonder why anyone would ever choose to run 26.2 miles.
Now, I run past that same building as a marathoner.
I look back at that earlier version of myself with pride. I remember being quiet and not always confident as a medical student and intern, wondering whether I truly belonged. Today, I return as a physician, a healthier version of myself physically and mentally, and as the first female chair of my hospital’s Department of Medicine. I advocate for patients, for physician wellbeing, and for women in medicine. I have found my voice.
I also return as a writer and journalist, another dream that began long ago. I have had the privilege of writing columns and stories, interviewing Olympic athletes, professional athletes, and everyday runners whose lives remind us that courage comes in many forms.
This year marks another meaningful milestone. It has been 10 years since I ran my first Chicago Marathon. That race was especially special because I introduced my younger sister to running, and she completed her first marathon in Chicago. We share the memory of crossing that finish line together, just as we share the memories of coming to Chicago with my dad when I was in medical school. He would help drop me off, pick me up, and make those long drives between Florida and Chicago.
This year, that connection with my father feels even more meaningful.
The night before I was supposed to leave for Chicago, my father, a retired physician, became ill and needed to be hospitalized. I helped get him admitted to the hospital where I practice, and I am so grateful to my colleagues and the staff who have provided him with excellent care. Even though I was torn about leaving, my father told me, “Go run your marathon.”
Those words will stay with me throughout every mile. After 26 years of caring for patients, I know I have made a difference in the lives of many families. But being able to help care for my own father, and to thank him for the support he gave me throughout my medical training, is something I will carry with me in a different way.
I have also experienced Chicago through different chapters of my running life.
I have entered through the lottery. I have run for charity with Ronald McDonald House, which gave greater meaning to every mile. Running for a cause reminds us that the marathon can be bigger than a finish time. It can honor families, support children, and turn the difficult miles into something that reaches beyond ourselves.
In recent years, Chicago has also become connected to the wonderful Team Ultra community, sponsored by Michelob ULTRA. I was first introduced to Team Ultra in 2018 as part of the New York City Marathon team. As that community grew, it developed a Chicago team as well. The people and connections I have made through Team Ultra have become friendships that will last a lifetime.
In many ways, being part of Team Ultra also motivated me to create my own Instagram running community. It began with Fabulous Five Friends, when five of us competed in a social media contest to get onto the New York City Marathon team in 2022. What started as a fun shared goal grew into a worldwide community of runners chasing very different dreams. Over time, the name evolved into Fabulous Friends Fellowship to better reflect that everyone is welcome. Some runners are chasing personal records. Some are returning from injury. Some are running for a cause, a loved one, or simply the belief that they can do hard things.
That is one of the gifts of the marathon. There is room for every story.
Chicago itself is a wonderful place to tell those stories. The course runs through 29 neighborhoods, each bringing its own energy, signs, music, and cheers. It is known as one of the fastest and flattest marathon courses in the world, a place where elite athletes chase records and everyday runners chase personal goals. But Chicago welcomes every kind of runner.
The race also holds a special place for runners who return year after year. I love that Chicago recognizes its legacy runners and makes room for those of us who keep coming back. This will be my sixth Chicago Marathon, but it feels connected to every version of me that came before it.
Beyond race weekend, Chicago remains one of my favorite cities. It has world class theater, unforgettable restaurants, museums that can fill days of exploring, and the iconic Bean waiting for the traditional photo. It has the energy of a major city while still feeling approachable. And there is something about Midwestern hospitality that makes you feel welcome from the moment you arrive.
For me, Chicago will always be a city of memory, transformation, and possibility.
This year, when I run down LaSalle Street and look up at that old balcony, I will remember the medical student who did not yet know her own strength. I will remember my sister’s first marathon, my father’s long drives, the patients I have cared for, the friends I have made, and the runner I became one mile at a time.
Chicago has left an imprint on my soul. Every return reminds me that the journey is not only about where we are going. It is also about honoring where we began and recognizing how far we have come.
About the Author
Dr. Maria Bendeck is a board-certified internal medicine physician, writer, and avid marathoner. A four-time Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Finisher, she has completed every one of the World Majors — more than once — including Sydney, the newest addition to the series. When she's not running or practicing medicine, Maria writes about running, travel, and community, with her work featured in the USA Today Network. Follow her journey on Instagram at @running_with_the_butterflies.
