On Monday, July 13th, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced the cancelation of the 2020 race. For additional information or questions about the cancellation, please visit HERE
Despite this disappointing news, Chicago Endurance Sports (CES) will continue training our marathon athletes through the weekend of October 11, as we originally noted in our communication to our team members on May 28th. CES will continue to support our runners through the end of the season, with the following options (full details will be emailed to current training program members):
Maintain their current training level towards completing the marathon distance
Switch to our Half Marathon training plan
Follow a modified “maintenance” plan to simply continue their running journey with CES, with the focus on improving themselves for a future goal event.
Please note: If someone decides not to continue training with CES, there are no deferrals or refunds available.
The CES Coaches have always been dedicated to fully supporting all of our athletes, through the ups and downs that come with the journey of marathon training. This is an unprecedented situation, but their motivation & desire to support our athletes has only grown stronger. Our focus is, and has always been, on guiding athletes to challenge themselves and to embrace a healthy, endurance sports lifestyle, rather than simply getting across a single finish line. Just like when challenges come up during training, we’re re-establishing goals and moving forward. We’re focusing on WHY we chose this journey, and how we can embrace this opportunity to continue to improve, despite these setbacks or obstacles. It’s perfectly ok to be upset and sad that your goal event isn’t happening. It’s not the path we expected, but it’s still just another part of the journey.
VIRTUAL CELEBRATION EVENTS
CES is planning to host both a Virtual Half Marathon (late September) & Virtual Marathon (early October). While we await the official information regarding Virtual race options from both the Chicago Half Marathon and Bank of America Chicago Marathon, rest assured that CES will DEFINITELY have a Virtual celebration event that our athletes can take part in, regardless. We will not be hosting an in-person half or full marathon event.
CHARITY SUPPORT
We have always valued the support and camaraderie of our running friends & community. And right now, our amazing Charity Partners need your support more than ever. We urge you to show your support, by donating to your favorite cause, or by continuing your fundraising & training journey, to help these Charities continue the important work they are doing in our communities.
The Journey Continues…
We’re ready to move forward, together, and we hope you’ll continue to strive towards your goals, even if they look different than yesterday.
