MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. (WLS) — Mount Prospect native Chase Banolik, 28, did not grow up as an avid runner.
“I did not, no. I grew up playing football most of my life, and then shortly after college, I got into running, and I got addicted the feeling of just putting out something that’s very challenging and just finding a way to get it done,” Banolik said.
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After running a marathon for charity, Chase got hooked. He eventually ran 100 miles, and then 200 miles, before setting out on the ultimate challenge: Over 416.44 miles in 10 days, starting in Cairo, Illinois, and finishing in Beloit, Wisconsin.
“I’m like, I want to do this for Illinois. It’s place I’ve lived my entire life. Be really cool to see the state on foot,” Banolik said.
He averaged 41.5 miles per day.
“Every day became the same routine. It was, wake up at 5 a.m. get some oatmeal, get some Imodium for my stomach, and then after that shower, get my feet as good as I could. And for the day of running, and every morning, it would be like, ‘How am I going to get this body to work today?’ Drive out to the spot where we left off on, and then from there, I would just grab my nutrition. I would grab my sodium, my salt stick. I would take a little bit more fuel in, and then we take off for the road. And my girlfriend, for the most part, would be about 5 miles up. I’d meet her every 5 miles, and I get fuel from the trunk. I’d get more stuff for hydration. And we just continue that pattern until we hit the distance for the day, and usually, that would be around sunset,” Banolik continued.
Battling harsh weather, tornado warnings and dangerous roadways, Banolik, with the support of his girlfriend, Riley, endured it all.
“I definitely couldn’t have done it without her. The crew chief is essential to getting an operation like this done, and throughout the entire journey, she was a rock star. She helped me every time I needed it. She knew the right thing to do, and I would not be able to do without her,” Banolik said.
By day eight, Chase was struggling to walk, let alone run, but he kept on pushing, dedicating the journey to his dedicated mother.
“Yeah, so, my mom raised us. She raised me and four other kids and worked multiple jobs growing up. She’s a nurse. She’s working overnight. So many times, working two overnights in a row. I don’t I really don’t know how she did it. She’d be driving me to practice. And just seeing her growing up, just how hard she worked, and just how much she sacrificed really just made me want to do this for her,” Banolik said.
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