MACEO'S STORY
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Maceo has been training for a half-marathon since early January. He has been waking up most mornings before school -- often in the dark and through the cold Chicago winter -- donning on his headlamp, cold-weather clothes and lacing up his sneakers to hit the pavement. He's worked his way up to the 13.1 miles (his current record distance is over 12 miles!)
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His race was scheduled for 5/9/20 at Yosemite National Park but as you can imagine, the live race was cancelled due to the pandemic.
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When the race committee offered runners the chance to run virtually in their own towns, Maceo was all in -- and he wanted to do something more than just run. He wanted his miles to help people impacted by COVID-19 so is using the race to raise funds for Feeding America and the National Park Foundation. Read below to see how you can help!
CELEBRATE MACEO'S RUN WITH A
CHARITABLE DONATION
Help Maceo reach his fundraising goals - or send a note of encouragement!
Consider donating to Feeding America or the National Park Foundation by clicking on either of the links below.
If you cannot donate monetarily, he'd love a note of encouragement, which can be emailed by clicking on the "Learn More" button under "Moral Support" or by completing the form far below.
$1 - $1000
Feeding America - Miles for Meals
Maceo is dedicating his 13.1 half-marathon miles to Feeding America -- over 40 million people are served each year through the Feeding America nationwide network of local food banks. Maceo is hoping his run can raise money to put food on the table in local communities, please click on the Donate button for more information.
$1 - $1000
National Park Foundation - Run for our Parks
His original race was scheduled to be held in Yosemite National Park. The National Park Foundation helps provide funding for Yosemite and other awesome National Parks to preserve these wild spaces -- hopefully for years to come and especially given decreases in both federal funding and pandemic-related closures. Click on the donate button for info.
MORAL SUPPORT
Cheer Maceo on virtually or in person!
Maceo knows not everyone can contribute monetarily but if you'd like to support him in another way, he'd love the thoughts! Send him a note of support in advance of the run, track his race live during the run, or join us in cheering for him live during the race. Let us know how you'd like to support him and we'll follow-up with more information closer to race day.
RACE ROUTE
stay tuned for updates to route
Start: Maceo plans to start from Pickerel Point on Long Lake.
Long Lake to Fox Lake: Heading toward Fox Lake via Long Beach Road, Wilson Road and Rollins Road, where he'll hang right at Washington Street (by the Dog N' Suds). He'll cruise on Grand/IL 59 and pick up Monaville Road before heading into Grant Woods Forest Preserve at the Monaville Road entrance.
Grant Woods Leg: From there, he'll head to the north Grant Woods Loop and double-back down to the South Loop. After exiting Grant Woods, Maceo will pick up Lake Shore Drive on the north side of Long Lake and head down Fairfield Road.
Home Stretch: The last long stretch will be down Main Street (or Roller Coaster Road, as some call it) before taking a last spin through the neighborhood and finishing at the Park on Decorah.
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Parking: Is available near several entrances of Grant Woods and though there's limited street parking in the neighborhood, Long Lake Train Station Lot is a short walk from the park.
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Maceo will turn on location tracking during the race on Google Maps for anyone who wants to follow his route live. If you'd like race tracking, let us know via the form below.
SHARE A NOTE AND STAY IN TOUCH
Submit the form to stay up to date on the latest race news, to let us know if you need any additional information, have any questions, or to send Maceo a personal note.