Junior Chloe Ramette completed her first marathon on October 12. After months of training, she crossed the finish line of the annual Chicago Marathon with friends and family cheering her on from sidewalks and street corners. But to Chloe, achieving this feat meant more than just running 26.2 miles—it was the moment she proved to herself she could achieve something extraordinary.
Chloe began running her freshman year and joined Latin’s JV cross country team as a sophomore. She would have never imagined that, just a year later, she would run a marathon to honor her late father, who passed in July of this year at the age of 50.
One of her father’s friends, also an avid marathon runner, suggested the idea in August of running the marathon. Chloe's father and his friends had a running group called ChiRun, in which they had been running together for 10 years. “My dad did one marathon. It was the one last year, and that was his first ever marathon,” Chloe said.
When Chloe initially received the suggestion to run the Chicago Marathon only two months prior to the race, she doubted herself. But as she started to work toward the dream, it became a reality. “I grew more motivated as I kept on training,” Chloe said.
Although she struggled at first with how to start training, Chloe created a week-by-week running plan. She would complete a couple of shorter runs, as well as one long-distance run each week.
“I knew I could already run long distances, so a lot of it was learning how to fuel,” she said.
To fuel, Chloe had a special diet. Junior Maddie Guelich said, “She told me about her diet before—she had to carb load, so we couldn't go to the kiosk.”
Another aspect of training involved accounting for any unexpected setbacks on the day of the marathon. “I was really stressed about getting side cramps or any sort of injury that would make me have to stop running—that was my biggest stress factor,” Chloe said. “I remember I would have shoulder pains that I would be really stressed about, because if that happened in the marathon, then I would not be able to run.”
The physical and mental challenges were not the only tribulations Chloe faced. “One of the biggest challenges was the time,” she said. “It was really hard to fit in space and dedicate time to [train].”
After weeks of training, Chloe's dedication carried her through. She found herself at the starting line in Grant Park. “My brain went into survival mode,” Chloe said. “I remember just having one goal, and it was to just keep running—one foot in front of the other.”
While facing all her nerves, Chloe told herself one thing: Enjoy this. “I’m going to miss it once it's over,” she said.
After making it past the starting line, Chloe had a grueling 26.2 miles ahead of her. “Mile[s] one through five was honestly just pure adrenaline,” she said.
Her brother, freshman Charlie Ramette, ran 23 miles of the marathon with her. “It was really fun to be a part of it, because I was able to support my dad and run alongside a bunch of my friends,” he said. “My favorite part was the first 10 miles, when we were running through Lincoln Park and Lakeview. The worst part was miles 16 to 19.”
Chloe had a similar sentiment. Once she reached mile seven, it was a steep uphill climb—mentally. “I had already run a long distance, and I’d think to myself: I did all that, and I have to do it again!” she said.
Despite the brutal mental battle, Chloe saw the light at the end of the tunnel once she broke mile 20. “People don't really realize that it’s a big mental game,” Chloe said.
In the end, Chloe's mind and body had to work together to push to the finish line. “The only thing that bothered me was my legs. They were obviously burning a lot at the end, but I had no other problems,” she said. “My training definitely paid off for that.”
Chloe and her group also made preparations to convey the message of why they were running the marathon: They all wore red shirts that said “Run for François,” in her dad’s honor. “Even people in the crowd, like my mom and family friends, were also all wearing the shirts, and it was … a symbol for our running group and to show what we were running for,” Chloe said.
The shirts helped bring a sense of community and meaning to the run. “Sometimes when I was running the marathon, I would get someone from behind me being like, ‘Who’s François?” she said. “People were very supportive when I’d explain to them why I was running—it definitely helped with my motivation.”
Using this motivation as fuel, crossing the finish line not only marked her success but also solidified her confidence as a runner. “Freshman year, I could not run three miles, so if you were to tell [me then] that I was going to run a marathon in two years, I would be like, What in the world are you talking about?” she said.
Completing this milestone opened a world of possibilities. “It makes me think about what I’m going to do in the future, that right now I think I might not be capable of,” Chloe said.
This testament to her perseverance has inspired those around her. “She did something that is unheard of—a 16 year old running a marathon is pretty insane,” Maddie said. “It shows how ambitious and how much of a hard worker she is.”
Looking to the future, Chloe wants to run the marathon yearly. “I will definitely remember this one because it’s my first,” Chloe said, “but I think there will be many more memorable ones in the future.”
Chloe not only proved to herself what she was capable of, but also completed her goal with one person in mind. “I was doing it for my dad and for his honor, so that was my biggest motivation,” Chloe said. “All you need is a motivation and discipline—if you have that, you can honestly do anything.”
