Chicago Marathon runners raise close to $100K for kidney research, screenings

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Dozens of runners at the 46th annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon will be working their legs to create a world of healthier kidneys.

Forty-four runners in Sunday's Chicago Marathon are raising money for the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois.

CEO Jacqueline Burgess Bishop said the runners on Team Kidney include kidney donors, relatives of people dealing with kidney disease, and renal professionals.

Burgess Bishop said the group has a few first-time marathon runners. She said the experience has been a team building exercise with a coach.

“We have a coach that’s available and accessible for the team to help them through … any of those individual barriers they may encounter with coaching tips and advice,” she said.

The team will have hundreds of people cheering them on from the sidelines, she added.

“It is so exciting and exhilarating to do that and to be engaged in that activity. Some will be along the route, and a number will be with us in what the marathon has labeled as ‘Charity Village,’ which is about 15.1 miles in,” she said.

Team Kidney raised around $100,000 to fund research, health screenings and educational events.

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