More than 50,000 people from around the world will run 26.2 miles this weekend in the Chicago Marathon.
Matt Brusich, an IT specialist who lives in Lincoln Park, is not one of them.
Brusich will run a marathon this weekend, just not one along city streets like LaSalle, Wells or Halsted, with over a million people cheering him on. His marathon will be around his block.
On Saturday, the day before the Chicago Marathon, Brusich will run around his block 79 times in a U.S. Track and Field-sanctioned event. His run will raise money for Lincoln Park Community Services and the neighborhood’s homeless community.
This year, Brusich said he wanted something to train for that would also garner attention, encouraging family and friends to raise money for a worthy cause.
Brusich ran the Chicago Marathon in 2012 but said one reason he’s not doing it again is that he enjoys watching it from his front porch every year. It’s one of his favorite days of the year — another reason he planned his “homegrown marathon” for the day before the official race.
Brusich came up with the idea to run around his own block — along Cleveland, Dickens, Mohawk and Armitage — nearly 80 times until he hits the 26.2-mile marker.
The silliness doesn’t stop there. Brusich created a website for his marathon, where people can pledge donations to “buckets” that correspond to certain laps. For example, if people donate enough money to the 51st lap bucket, Brusich will run that lap in a banana costume.
Each of the bucket goals has been met. That means Brusich will skip during the 11th lap, run backward during the 21st lap, give a piggyback ride during the 31st lap and run the 41st lap with his dog, Fred.
Brusich was able to get the race sanctioned by the U.S. Track and Field National Office. He even got a pizza named after him for the event by DeNucci’s, a restaurant down the block from his home: the Matt’s homegrown hot honey hustle.
Other sponsors include Chicago Lakefront Ultras and Orbiter, which helped certify the route.
To learn how to donate to Lincoln Park Community Services or make a pledge for Brusich’s homegrown marathon, visit his website.
