Thinking about dad gives Elgin runner inspiration for Chicago Marathon

Two things are motivating Mario Hernandez Jr. of Elgin as he prepares to run his second Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

First is the memory of his late father, Mario, who died at age 61 just before Christmas last year and inspired Hernandez to run his first marathon — Chicago’s — last fall.

“For the last 10 years of his life, my dad endured inclusion body myositis, a rare immune disorder that attacks the muscles and for which there is no cure,” Hernandez said. “He lost the ability to use his body little by little and couldn’t do the things he used to do.”

Hernandez, now 34, moved back to Elgin from Chicago be near his father and mother Alma while his brother Ulises, now 32, moved back in with his parents to help care for their dad.

His father had always been strong and independent, Hernandez said, so helping care for him gave Hernandez a new appreciation for what his own body could do. Because of that, and to relieve stress and stay in shape, the former South Elgin High School athlete took to running. He also works as an underwriter for marathon sponsor Bank of America and decided to train for the 26.2-mile run.

“I thought, ‘What better way to use my body while I still have the ability to do so than to run a marathon?’” he said.

He trained for about a year prior to the 2025 race, first using a treadmill at Planet Fitness in Elgin before taking to the streets in his Elgin subdivision and joining the Chicago Area Runners Association to train with others on weekends at Busse Woods in Elk Grove Village.

For last year’s marathon, his family stayed back in Elgin and followed his progress by monitoring his bib number through an app.

“The day after the race I had to take my father to a doctor’s appointment and was having a hard time walking, which my dad joked about,” Hernandez said.

He recalled that his father, who loved to talk, had a great sense of humor, a strong work ethic and, most of all, a big heart.

“He put his family first and always wanted what was best for people,” Hernandez said.

That showed itself in ways that included offering gardening tips to friends and neighbors and having a dream, should he have won the lottery, to open an animal shelter for stray dogs, he said.

So, for this year’s marathon — and his second point of inspiration — Hernandez decided to honor his father’s spirit of kindness by running to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association to support people and their families who are living with neuromuscular diseases. He’s already surpassed his $1,000 fundraising goal.

Last year the race raised a record $47.1 million for nonprofits, bringing the total collected through its charity program to more than $405 million since 2002, according to a Bank of America news release.

“I’m excited and grateful to have the opportunity to pay it forward. My father used to say to always finish what you start. So when the race gets tough, I’ll be thinking of him through the pain,” Hernandez said. “Whenever I lose motivation, I think about my dad. He kept going until the last day of his life so I remind myself that I can keep going too.”

Cheering for him this time in person will be his brother and mother.

“They’re planning to be there. We’re deciding where along the route they will watch, and they definitely want to be near the finish line when I cross it,” Hernandez said.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.