Chicago Marathon: A Season with the Warriors

Wendy Lucia Lopez-Gonzalez
Published: October 6, 2012

The first time I joined the Warriors Running Group I went alone & I was scare because I didn't know anyone but when I got there I was immediately greeted by friendly smiles who made me feel welcomed. I started talking to other warriors as if I knew them for years!!! Once all the Warriors got to their usual meeting spot at Simone's Bar on the corner of 18th & Morgan in Pilsen we all walked down to the University Park which was 6 blocks away. I noticed that the walk to the park not only serves as a warm up before the run but it's also an opportunity to chit chat with all the other Warriors before we start to run.

After stretching the Warriors were finally ready for a short run, they all lined up in pairs according to fitness levels but since I wasn’t paying attention I accidentally got in line with the Advance Warriors.  As I started to run my first 5 miles with the Warriors I had no idea Joseph (the founder of the warriors) was paying attention to the way we were running. During my run he saw I almost twisted my ankle on uneven pavement for playing around with my iPhone.  One time Joseph came out of nowhere from behind, tapped me on the back and said “Keep your head up to see what’s coming up in front of you.” Later on he told me to control my breathing & showed me how to catch my breath. He would often check up on me & others by giving me the thumbs up & I would immediately reply with another thump up. My running partner that day was also looking out for me by telling me to “slow down a bit”….. “Watch out for that bump” or “Go faster your falling behind”. My partner, Arturo Linares, was not only helping me but motivating me during my run & the weird part was that I just met him; he was a complete stranger to me but seemed like a long time friend.

After I completed my first 5 miles with the warriors I went up to Joseph and thanked him for creating this wonderful group who meets religiously, who have so much passion, & who are extremely friendly (tears where almost coming out of my eyes but I held them in) and on top of that membership is FREE. Unlike other groups which charge you hundreds of dollars to train with them for the first few weeks. I told Joseph that it felt great to be part of a group with the same passion for running. Although I have the wonderful support of my husband and family they don’t fully understand the passion & drive that I have to meet certain goals and that at times makes me feel alone in this journey.

Joseph immediately knew how I felt as he explained to me his love for Judo and how his friends and family didn’t understand his passion either. Joseph told me something I never realized and I will never forget, he said:

“This Journey is your OWN and no one else’s. You are ALONE!!!…and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. Don’t expect others to understand it”

The Warriors Running Group was initiated by Joseph N. Sobus almost two years ago to bring people together from all kinds of backgrounds who shared the same passion for running. The Pilsen-based running group offers free membership that promotes healthy living, supports various charities and local businesses.  The group meets every Mondays and Wednesday nights before running through the streets of Chicago.  We also meet on Sundays for our long runs either near the lake or at the forest.  After our runs we go out to eat as a group at a local restaurant or bar not only to chit chat but also to promotes and supports local businesses. Now you don't have to run the Chicago Marathon if you don’t want to, but we would like to get you to the point where you know you could. The running group now has official board members, Sandy Barrera, Veronica J. Diaz, Jessie Duran, Carmen Gonzalez, Claudia Salgado, and Joe Sobus.

Last year we were the first running group to be selected by the Bank of America to represent Pilsen & the Latino community in the 2011 Chicago Marathon. As a result, some of the member’s pictures showed up in promotional pamphlets, ads and even billboards around the city.

This year has been amazing we’ve done so many things together from running in races, to starting up the Little Warriors, completing half-marathons, marching in the Pilsen Mexican parade, hosting our first Gala event & now Nike will be featuring our fastest female Warriors. Not only are the Warriors setting an example in their community but they are also raising thousands of dollars for charities like the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and the Greater Chicago Epilepsy Foundation.

Highlights for this season

• The Little Warriors Running Program was started this year to introduce children to running by taking the first step to an active and healthy life. The kids met twice a week for training with Joseph Nicholas Sobus and Veronica Juana Diaz through their entire summer in order to get ready for their big race. The kids where super excited and they would refer to the race as the “marathon”. The Little Warriors along with their families ran the WTTW Kids 5k Fun Run and 3k walk.
•  The Warriors had their first Gala event where they traded their running shoes for some high heels/dress shoes and their running clothes for dresses/suits. During their Gala event they had an award ceremony and later danced the night away.
• The Warriors are well known in the Pilsen community were they do most of their training, they are known as “Los Guerreros” which mean Warriors in Spanish. As role models for the community the WRG were officially invited to march in the Pilsen Mexican Parade.
•  The Warrior have a very unique support system,  those that will not participate in a race will still come out to set up a cheering squad to cheer the Warriors that are running in a race.
• The Warriors Running Group is also very proud of our fastest female runner whose story will be featured in Nike Chicago’s Twitter account. Follow their twitter page to stay up to date with her story.

Keywords: Chicago Marathon, Pilsen Runners Club

Posted in Health, Opinion

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