This past Sunday was one of those days that makes you fall in love with Chicago all over again. The sun was shining, the leaves were beginning to turn brilliant colors, and more than 50,000 runners took to the streets for the Chicago Marathon — weaving through the city’s neighborhoods, cheered on by thousands of strangers who came together to celebrate endurance, courage, and community. There’s a certain beauty in it: the hum of sneakers on pavement, the handmade signs, the rhythm of encouragement echoing through every neighborhood. The way people of all backgrounds unite for one shared purpose. And each runner enters the race with their own story, their own reason for running — yet all moving in the same direction. But the marathon isn’t just beauty — it’s also pain and struggle. It’s sore muscles, blistered feet, and those moments of doubt when your body wants to quit but your heart whispers, “Keep going.” It’s the mental strength that says, “I can do this,” even when everything in you says otherwise. And in that, there’s something deeply spiritual. Because our faith journey is a marathon, too. We experience seasons of pain, despair and sorrow where the path is rough. We face doubts, fatigue, and the temptation to give up. But in those moments, grace meets us — reminding us that we don’t run alone. In the race of faith, each of us carries our own aches and wounds. And even there God meets us. He fills the holes in our hearts with love, gives us strength for the next mile, and invites us to keep going in the race of life. So today, Father Novak reflects on what it means to run a marathon — not just through the streets of Chicago, but through the course of our lives: to run it well, with hope, with love, and with great faith.