Good morning from the Windy City!
Chicago is waking up to the sound of more than 55,000 runners preparing to do something most people would consider entirely unreasonable before breakfast.
Today marks marathon five of seven for Giles Ashton-Roberts. Four continents, thousands of kilometres travelled and rather a lot of windbreakers later, he finds himself in a city famous for its architecture, deep-dish pizza, and one of the fastest marathon courses in the world.
When we recently asked Giles whether he actually enjoys running, his answer was refreshingly honest. “I wouldn't say I enjoy the running itself. What I do enjoy is how I feel afterwards. Knowing I've pushed myself, achieved something and, most importantly, helped raise awareness and funds for a cause that matters.”
That may not be the answer you would expect from someone who has chosen to run seven marathons to raise money for the MND Association. But then, this challenge was never really about enjoying running.
It began as a deeply personal response to his family’s experience of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and has become a tribute to someone important to Giles, while raising funds and awareness for others living with the disease. Chicago is the next chapter.
They are underway!
For one Sunday morning, Chicago has suspended normal behaviour. Roads are closed, strangers are cheering, and running 42.195 kilometres suddenly seems like a perfectly reasonable use of a day.
Giles has crossed the start line and is now settling into the early miles, surrounded by a sea of runners and the noise of spectators lining the streets. The opening section is all momentum: thousands of feet striking the road, runners finding space and the first wave of excitement carrying everyone forward.
The route winds through 29 neighbourhoods, taking runners past Chicago’s famous skyscrapers, across the river and through communities that have turned out in force. Every few minutes brings another pocket of noise, music, cowbells, signs and cheers from spectators calling runners’ names.
Chicago has a reputation for being flat and fast. Today, warm temperatures and high humidity are adding a little extra difficulty to proceedings. For Giles, that means resisting the temptation to chase the pace too early and concentrating instead on the long task ahead.
At the front of the Marathon, Kenya's Amos Kipruto and Ethiopia's Hawi Feysa are going strong. For Giles, however, the objective is considerably simpler.
Keep moving. Manage the distance. Remember why he started.
After all, there are easier ways to raise money than running 42.195 kilometres. Although very few come with quite so much cheering.
The early miles
The first part of a marathon can be deceptive. The legs feel relatively fresh, the crowds are still at full volume, and the finish line seems impossibly far away.
Giles is using this stage to settle into a rhythm rather than treating the opening miles as a race. He has already completed four marathons this year, so he knows that patience matters. The challenge is not to win the first hour, but to leave enough in reserve for the final 10 kilometres.
The crowds provide a constant lift. Chicago’s support is not confined to one central stretch; it follows the course through neighbourhood after neighbourhood. Runners are urged on by strangers, volunteers are keeping the route moving and the city is making sure nobody feels alone for long.
But the conditions are beginning to register. The warmth and humidity are not extreme, yet they are enough to make every kilometre more demanding than it might appear on paper.
Giles is keeping the focus narrow: one aid station, one turn, one kilometre at a time.
More than a marathon
Chicago offers plenty of distractions. The crowds are loud, the atmosphere is electric, and the course is packed with sights worth slowing down for.
But the hardest part of any marathon arrives when the excitement begins to fade.
Giles knows that feeling well. Earlier this year, he completed Paris, Boston, and London within just two weeks. A calf injury made Boston particularly gruelling, while London required him to keep going on legs that had barely recovered. Sydney brought its own challenges, with a demanding course and months of training behind him.
Five marathon weekends into this remarkable journey, Giles has learnt that determination is rarely glamorous. Sometimes it simply means putting one foot in front of the other.
And finding a reason to do it again.
The halfway point
As Giles moves through the middle miles, the character of the run is changing. The initial adrenaline has worn off, the distance still ahead is substantial and the body is beginning to ask harder questions.
This is where experience matters. Giles has been here before: the point at which the marathon stops feeling like an event and starts feeling like work.
The crowds remain a powerful presence, but the effort is now more visible. Runners are reaching for drinks, adjusting their pace and checking in with themselves before the final stretch. Giles is continuing to manage the conditions and protect his energy for the closing miles.
The message behind the run remains close. Every difficult section is part of a wider purpose: raising money for the MND Association and supporting people affected by a disease that takes away movement and independence. For Giles, that makes the discomfort meaningful.
The final miles
The last part of the Chicago Marathon is where the day becomes a test of persistence.
The route is still lined with spectators, but the runners are now moving through the accumulated fatigue of more than 30 kilometres. The pace is harder to maintain, the legs are heavier and every remaining mile requires a deliberate decision to continue.
Giles is drawing on the same approach that has carried him through Paris, Boston, London and Sydney. There is no shortcut and no dramatic transformation just the steady repetition of the next step.
The finish is getting closer.
The crowds are building again as runners approach the final section, and the noise is helping to pull them towards the line. Giles has made it through another demanding marathon day, carrying the weight of the challenge, the cause and the people he is running for.
From Chicago to New York
There is already something special waiting at the next stop.
On 2 November, Giles will line up at the start of the TCS New York City Marathon, one of the world's most iconic races. The event will bring together around 60,000 runners from across the globe to tackle the 26.2-mile journey through all five boroughs of New York City, cheered on by millions of spectators along the route.
Giles has been selected as one of just 26 runners for New York Road Runners' Team Inspire, a group that recognises participants whose personal stories and commitment to a cause embody the spirit of the marathon.
The recognition is particularly meaningful because Giles' journey has never been about medals, finishing times or personal bests. It has been about raising awareness and funds for the MND Association, while honouring a cause that is deeply personal to him.
What began as one man's determination to make a difference has grown into a story that is inspiring people well beyond the finish line.
And in just a few weeks' time, that story will continue on the streets of New York.
If you can, please support Giles’s fundraiser for the MND Association.
Support Giles’s fundraising challenge
