Every Saturday morning for about five months, starting in early May, they gather on a grassy patch along the lakefront path at Foster Avenue. In the cold and rain, or miserable heat and humidity.
Applications will be open through the end of June to train with these runners for the annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon, held on the second Sunday of October. The Team To End AIDS (T2) is the official endurance-training program of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC)and its training site starts at Foster Avenue and usually is a south-bound run, starting with three miles and building up over a matter of months to training runs of 20 miles or more. T2 is a group of local running enthusiasts, some experienced and some complete newcomers, even former couch-potatoes, practicing in the spring and summer for that magical Sunday in October, when each will run 26.2 miles through the streets of Chicagofrom downtown up to Lakeview, out to area by U.S. Cellular Field and then back toward a big, bold banner back downtown that blasts FINISH.
Katie Schmid, 35, who lives in Ravenswood, knows all about T2 Saturdays. She is the T2 head running coach in her ninth year coaching with T2, her 11th season overall. She was a participant in the program before becoming a coach.
To date, she has personally run 18 marathons, two half Ironman events, and a full Ironman.
She also has crossed the finish line in Chicagoin spiritwith literally thousands of locals who she has coached, each wearing T2 red shirts in support of AFC.
"The best part of running with T2 is being reminded of the power I have as an individual. I have the power to accomplish an amazing goal. I have the power to inspire others. I have the power to save lives," she said.
Schmid greets the T2 runners on most Saturday morning training runsjust as she did June 15, when the crew was bracing for its 8-mile runwith her distinctive, loud, energetic "Gooooooooooood morning, T2marathoners."
She gives a few last-minute pointers, describes the route they will be running that day, shares training tips, and maybe a personal story or joke. Schmid's dedication to the causefundraising, coaching and volunteering for AFC through T2is tireless, endless.
She often jokes that she hopes a cure for HIV/AIDS is found soon, just so she can sleep in on a Saturday morning in the spring or summer.
The T2 crew on June 15 was about 70 runners, ranging in age from their early 20s to early 70s, and truly it is a mix of every race, creed and sexual-orientation. T2 has long been a flag-waving supporter of the LGBT community, starting with AFC president David Munar, who is openly gay, and T2 marathon runner. His predecessor, Mark Ishaug, also is openly gay and has been a runner for the program, too. T2 had a float in the 2012 Gay Pride Parade.
About 200 runners will be in T2 red on race day, Oct. 13, the culmination of months of training, the completion of a life-changing journey that ends with a shiny medal placed around the neck of each finisher.
T2 marathon runners have long had a 100 percent completion rate on race day. Yes, every T2 runner who starts the Chicago Marathon finishes it, too.
And then it's time to celebrate, as T2 hosts a post-race fiesta that would rate with any New Year's Eve party.
T2 is still accepting applications from runners through the end of June for the Chicago Marathon, which sold out in record time. So yes, you can still run the Chicago Marathon, and help AFC in the process.
"We give an experience of a lifetime," Schmid said. "The camaraderie and support T2 generates is inspiring. It's especially good for those people who are a bit intimidated by the marathon or simply by running. You have a team of coaches, staff, and teammates who are there to motivate you, inspire you, and get you to the finish line."
The T2 journey isn't just about Saturday morning team runs; it also is the weekend parties, and often fundraising events during the weekall done to support AFC.
Take, for instance, June 15. They ran eight miles in the morning, then many of those same runners congregated for an evening rooftop fundraiser in Uptown, with a breathtaking view of the Chicago skylineand more than $3,000 was raised for AFC.
Dan Cornejo hosted the catered third-annual party, which attracted T2 runners and triathletes, among others, and has quickly become a must-attend event. [ Photo gallery at www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/photospreadthumbs.php . ] Cornejo has run the Chicago Marathon each of the past two years in red in support of AFCand he's shooting to fundraise $6,000 this year alone, which would push his grand total raised for AFC over three years to about $15,000.
"Joining T2 definitely has changed my life and helped me become healthier, and helping the fight to end HIV/AIDS is very, very rewarding," said Cornejo, who celebrates his 34th birthday on June 30and is encouraging his friends on Facebook and elsewhere to donate $34 to AFC, through his online T2 fundraising page, so everyone can celebrate.
"T2 is particularly good for beginner [runners] because we offer a range of experience and levels," Schmid said. "We have a supportive and non-intimidating environment, and a team that is committed to getting everyone to the finish line. Everyone is a runner with us, no matter what their speed [is]. Our program uses a training method that is especially good for beginners and we have over a 99 percent success rate."
-Anyone looking to join T2 and run the annual Chicago Marathon in October, go to: www.t2ea.com . Or, you can call 312-334-0934.
-To support Dan Cornejo in his fundraising for AFC, go to: events.aidschicago.org/site/TR/T2/T2 .