New Web Site Banks Inspiration for Runners

By Tim State in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 25, 2007 6:29PM

This weekend marks a crucial point for the 45,000 registered LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Participants. Six weeks out, runners begin their six-week taper that will build up to the event on Sunday, October 7. Most runners will train for 18 weeks or more, so staying motivated is often one of the greatest challenges to participating in a marathon. Now in its 30th year, race organizers have launched a new Web site to help motivate and engage participants.

A new section, “Inspiration Bank” offers forums and blogs where participants can share their motivation, stories, and tips. Even if you’re not running in the marathon, you’ll gain something from this site; you don’t have to be a registered user to tap into the Inspiration Bank. Here they profile six different runners, each one participating for a different reason. Weekly, they update their journal, sharing thoughts, motivation, training techniques. There is an opportunity to get tips from fellow runners. And, to help us stay motivated, there is a story of inspiration. We’re gonna warn you, August’s story about a pothole in the road of life -- it’s a tear-jerker, and you might just find yourself putting on a pair of running shoes after reading it. If you’re not the reading type, the site features podcasts on learning how to train, goal setting, improvement, becoming a better runner and more; photo and video galleries.

The marathon has raised more than $27.5 million for a variety of charities. In 2006, $9.3 million was raised for 60 participating charities by 5,000 participants. Already this year, 6,200 runners are participating on behalf of 83 charities. With the new site helping to motivate them along, it’s certain to be a success.

Photo courtesy of Señor Codo.