Community Corner
Woodridge Woman Runs Solo Marathon To Raise Money For Charity
When Jessica Lomax found out the Boston Qualifier marathon she trained for was canceled, she laced up her running shoes for a good cause.
WOODRIDGE, IL — It's not unusual to find Jessica Lomax running throughout the community in Woodridge. For months, she was training to run the Boston Qualifier marathon in Geneva, but when the race was canceled due to the new coronavirus, Lomax decided to use her training to help others.
Lomax told Patch she had been running 40 to 50 miles each week since December to prep for the race. When she found out it had been canceled, Lomax said she was initially disappointed.
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She told Patch, "I couldn’t even register for another race because everything is cancelled. And let’s face it we are not even sure when we will be able to safely yet."
Then, Lomax got to thinking about ways she could put her training to use to benefit others. She told Patch, "I just felt like there were so many people suffering with everything going on. With people sick and dying, most people having to stay at home and lots of people out of jobs, I wanted to help...to put something positive out there when so much of the news has been sad. I knew I would run my marathon solo anyway because of all the hard work I had put in to it, so why not raise money? I figured any little bit would help. What did I have to lose?"
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Lomax took to Facebook to raise money for People's Resource Center. She said she chose the DuPage County non-profit because "they offer nutritious food and other basic necessities like clothes and rent assistance for people facing tough times. And also connect people with resources—education and tutoring, jobs, and technology."
Lomax said she didn't expect to raise the $631 that came in and was "overwhelmed" by the response.
She told Patch, "I’ve been struggling like most people mentally with this whole situation and this has made things a bit more bearable having something positive come out of this."
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