Participants in the 2013 Chicago Marathon make their way down Columbus Drive in the Streeterville neighborhood. (DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief)
School for New Learning adjunct faculty member Tom Nowak is no stranger to marathons. What began as a love for running in college quickly grew into a lifestyle. Throughout his running career, Nowak has completed 13 marathons, including the Boston Marathon, known for its difficult qualifying time.
As a thank you for the support he received while training for and completing his marathons, Nowak has volunteered his time over the last 30 years at the Chicago Marathon. He's even worked as captain of the last aid station at the mile 25 mark for the last 10 years.
"Being at that final mile mark is something special," he says. "It is heartwarming to feel the runners' energy and fulfillment of reaching this immense goal after months of training."
In continued support of his mission to give back, Nowak and his team are looking to the DePaul community for volunteers for this year's race. Volunteers will hand out water or Gatorade to 48,000 runners as they head to the finish line on Sunday, Oct. 8.
The deadline to register online is Oct. 1, and registering early is encouraged.
Instructions on how to register as a marathon volunteer and serve with Nowak are available here. Questions may be directed to
Tom Nowak. More information about the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is available on the
marathon's website.