What drives Fox Valley marathoners?

On Sunday morning, roughly 3,000 runners will take off in downtown St. Charles for the 10th annual Fox Valley Marathon, Half Marathon and Final Fall 20.

Months of training will be put into practice as participants strive to hit personal goals or break previous records. They'll focus on their pace, track their times and count down the miles until they reach the finish line, where a shiny new medal and crowds of spectators await them.

And they'll all have their own reasons for doing it.

The Fox Valley races draw runners of various backgrounds, demographics and experience levels from throughout the suburbs and Chicago. We spoke with several registered participants about what motivates them:

Heather Zeigler, Woodridge

Heather Zeigler joined the Navy ROTC program in college knowing full well she'd be forced to run — and she hated it the whole time.

But toward the end of her time in the military, she had a daughter, started running to lose weight and learned to love it. She decided to run a couple of marathons. Then, just before the inaugural Fox Valley race, she set a goal to complete 50 before she turned 50.

Maybe it was the beautiful course or the motivated people she met, but that 2010 race “turned everything around in my running world,” Zeigler said.

Now 39 years old, she has participated in 205 marathons, including one in every state with times under four hours. She continues to set goals for herself: completing the Fox Valley Marathon every year for as long as she can; finishing 300 marathons by the time she's 50.

“Of course there are moments during them that I'm like, ‘why in the world am I doing this again?'” Zeigler said. “But they always end up with the attitude of complete joy afterward. They're so rewarding.”

Chris Benyo, North Aurora

Several years ago, Chris Benyo set a goal of finishing one marathon in every state. He made it to 22 before his plan came to a halt.

About six months after getting married, his wife, Denise, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a progressive disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

The couple had hoped to one day run a marathon together; Denise had even started training before her diagnosis. So during the next few years, Benyo pushed his wife in a wheelchair through eight races, including in Naperville, where he teaches physical education.

After Denise died in 2016, he pushed her empty chair in the Naperville Marathon in her memory.

Benyo admits his passion for running has since dwindled. But he has run every Fox Valley Marathon so far, and he plans to keep going “for as long as possible.”

Tim Ryan, Geneva

As a cross country and track coach at Thompson Middle School in St. Charles, physical education teacher Tim Ryan believes it's important to practice what he preaches.

Running the marathon every year is his way of doing that.

Ryan started running in college to stay in shape, then participated in a few 5Ks and half marathons. His first 26.2-mile race was the inaugural Fox Valley event in 2010.

Thanks largely to encouragement from his wife, he's returned every year, now with his children watching from the sidelines.

“I caught that running bug,” he says, “and haven't been able to get rid of it.”

Tristi Matzuka, St. Charles

Hearing the crowd roaring as Tristi Matzuka crossed the finish line of the Fox Valley Half Marathon the past few years has been electrifying. Running the race for a cause makes it even more rewarding.

Matzuka is the coach of a running team raising money and awareness for Fox Valley Food for Health, a local organization aimed at promoting nutrition, educating the community and serving meals to those struggling with a health crisis.

Throughout the summer, the group of about 25 people has met at Dick Pond Athletics in St. Charles to train together. Sunday's race will be the first half marathon for many of them.

“I'm so excited to watch some of these people cross the finish line,” Matzuka said. “The best part about being the coach is raising awareness for this charity, but also seeing people accomplish things they never thought they could.”

Mike Dizon, Glenview

To stay in shape during graduate school in 1997, Mike Dizon told himself he would run every day until he got tired.

The first day, he made it 10 minutes. On day two, he went a little longer. Eventually, around the time Oprah Winfrey ran her first marathon, someone told Dizon that if he was physically capable of running 13.1 miles, he could easily double the distance.

He ran his first marathon that fall, thinking he'd be a “one and done runner.” Sunday's race will be his 10th Fox Valley marathon and 48th overall.

“There's something that changed me a lot after running that first one,” Dizon said. “It's such a major physical feat. Once I was able to overcome that, it really built up my confidence.”

After St. Charles, Dizon plans to run the Chicago Marathon next month, and then he'll aim for Boston — his 50th and last race.

“It's been a great running career so far,” he says. “I'm sad to see it end.”

James Pszanka, Chicago

Running to stay fit was always a chore for James Pszanka — until he started training with dogs.

A volunteer at the PAWS Chicago animal shelter for the past decade, Pszanka began taking the dogs on a run before their training sessions to give them exercise and help them focus. It was as much of a benefit for him as it was for them.

Running with dogs is now the only way he prepares for a marathon, he said. A 20-mile run goes by quickly when you divide the time between four or five dogs.

The marathons themselves allow him to give back in a different way. He's a top fundraiser on Team PAWS, which participates in various races to raise money and awareness for no-kill shelters. This will be Pszanka's first Fox Valley marathon as he aims to bring his message to the suburbs.

“Running makes you feel amazing. Volunteering makes you feel amazing. Spending time with dogs ... is fun and an amazing stress relief,” he said. “I just found this way to combine all three. It's the best part of my week.”