The Paw Print

By Isabella Sun, Arts & Entertainment Editor

On Oct. 12, seven Payton students lined up at the starting line of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a 26.2-mile race held annually every October. Representing Payton were Camilo Alatorre ‘27, Eleanor Blackburn ‘26, Isaac Doi ‘26, Hannah Doi ‘27, Joanna Kong ‘27, Caylie Kromelow ‘27, Asha Lulla ‘26, Zachary Wong ‘27, and Sophie Yi ‘27, each taking on the challenge of one of the most renowned races in the world.

The marathon is one of the six World Marathon Majors—an international series that also includes the Boston, New York, London, Berlin, and Tokyo Marathons—each considered among the most prestigious long-distance races in the world. Known for its flat and fast course—which has been the site of multiple world records—it starts and concludes in Grant Park. The 2025 Chicago Marathon saw a record-breaking 54,351 runners finish the race, including all of Payton’s participants. 

Among Payton’s marathoners, Wong stood out for his extraordinary performance. You may have heard of his feats in cross country and track and field or his stellar performance at the marathon. You can find him after school running for seemingly impossible times. He began running in eighth grade, and years of consistent training paid off during the marathon.

Cross country and track are both running sports, but they differ in distance and focus. Cross country revolves around stamina and endurance across uneven terrain, while track emphasizes speed and power over shorter distances. Both sports, however, require daily training, hard work, and discipline. 

Wong usually runs 5 to 6 days a week for both sports and his practice times are even longer. “Practice time is usually quite a bit longer than the time that you actually run,” said Wong. “For cross country and track, practices usually last between 45 minutes [and] 2.5 hours.”

That dedication set the foundation for his marathon preparation. For five months leading up to the race, Wong trained seven days a week, running between one and three hours a day. His training workouts ranged from timed-based to distance-based runs, each focusing on building different aspects of endurance and performance. “A week of marathon training is different every day. On Saturdays, I’d run hard intervals, which are really difficult sessions. On Sundays, it would be a long run. I ran 18.6 miles during peak training weeks,” Wong said. 

Furthermore, running primarily engages different muscle groups like the lower body, core, upper body and even the diaphragm for breathing, so it was important for him to train consistently too. Having body awareness, engagement, and training consistently often distinguishes advanced runners from novices.

Wong began the race at 7:41 a.m. and crossed the finish line at 10:35, running 26.2 miles in 2 hours and 53 minutes. He averaged 9.09 miles per hour and 6.36 minutes per mile, on par with a good mile time for male runners. “I’m really happy with my time,” said Wong. “I thought 2:55 would not be possible, like a hard lower bound, but I broke it so that’s awesome.”

His final time of 2:53:45 also placed him 7th place among all runners 19 and under. “7th in my age group in a world major is also really cool, but frankly my time in any other year would place higher. Last year, it would have been second place,” Wong admitted. “[That] speaks to how strong the competition was this year.”

Wong says that the hardest part wasn’t the marathon itself, but the training. “The marathon itself wasn’t that bad. It was really hard at the end, but not terrible overall. Training for it and putting in all that time and energy, especially all on my own, was really hard and mentally draining,” he said. 

Marathon preparation, coupled with schoolwork and other responsibilities, required a level of focus and organization that tested his limits. “I might run it next year, but I don’t know whether I can handle such intense training again,” Wong said. “It’s definitely something I’m thinking about, though.”

Running is a goal-oriented sport that requires steady progress, strong mentality, and grit. Wong believes that it is one of the most beneficial ways to exercise. “It’s great for cardio health, respiratory health, and more. It really is one of the best overall health boosters I know of.” The benefits of running go far beyond physical, however: it helps with mental clarity and is a great stress reliever. “I also believe the physical benefits trickle down into mental benefits. It can help people be happier over time if done correctly,” Wong said.

“Running is a personal journey, and comparing yourself to other people’s growth and feeling bad about yourself isn’t worth it,” said Wong. “If you push yourself every day and don’t let yourself burn out, you will improve. It’s definitely not easy and sometimes not fun, but I don’t think I’ve ever finished a workout and regretted that I did it.” Wong’s marathon journey and preparation is a reminder that dedication and discipline can even conquer one of the toughest races in the world.