There are a couple of special moments in every Chicago Marathon for Pat Zamkin.
The marathon route on Sunday twice goes by Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, a charity and residence for abused, neglected and homeless children. It was where Zamkin was dropped off on his 15th birthday in 1985. He lived there for about two years.
The children who live there now always stand outside and cheer the runners, especially the Mercy Home Heroes who run to raise money for the charity. Zamkin is one of those heroes.
in front of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago. (Provided photos)
“They’re not only cheering for me but I’m cheering for them,” he said. “It’s a very emotional moment for me. I understand a little about what these kids are going through, not taking anything away from their personal experiences, but I can relate.”
Zamkin has remained in touch with the organization, visiting on a regular basis. He’s mentored kids, fundraised and volunteered. He shot a commercial for the Chicago Marathon aimed at highlighting participants who ran for charity. He’s a member of the Mercy Home’s ambassadors board.
Zamkin is a Chicago native. He lives in Flossmoor and works as a financial advisor for Edward Jones. His business is in Homewood.
He ran his first marathon in 2016. Mercy Home Heroes Coordinator Jim Harding approached him about two months before the Chicago race. Mercy Home needed a few more runners to maintain their team status. Zamkin’s only previous running experience were things like turkey trots and 5K’s.
“My knee jerk reaction was ‘Yeah, whatever I can do to help Mercy Home,’” he said. “I’d never done a marathon or anything close to a marathon before that. There was a realization pretty quickly and I was like ‘Wait a second, what did I just sign up for?’”
People told him it wasn’t practical to train for a marathon in only two months. Some runners prepare for years before trying to complete the 26.2 miles.
Zamkin planned to run the equivalent of a 10K every other day. He usually did that on a treadmill at the HF Racquet and Fitness Club.
“I would run for an hour. I would set it at a pace to get 6.2 miles in an hour,” he said. “Then I ran a marathon.”
A friend suggested he get a drink and walk when he gets to the water stations. He did that. He finished. He was hooked.
The 2024 Chicago Marathon will be his ninth.
“Every time I finish, I say ‘Never again.’ Then they open up the books again and I’m usually one of the first to sign up,” Zamkin said. “I’m addicted to running them, at this point.”
Zamkin now trains with the Yankee Runners, a group out of Oak Forest. He’s not the most decorated or seasoned runner in the group. He doesn’t travel to run or live the sport like some of the more serious Yankees.
“Doing it for something that’s so near and dear to my heart, because of my boots on the ground experience with Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, that is a compelling enough reason to keep going even when it becomes painful, sometimes,” he said.
And it is painful.
When he was 20 years old, he was in a motorcycle accident that put him in a coma for about a month. Doctors said he was lucky to survive.
“I walked away (from the accident) with a lot of metal-infused bones. The medical professionals would probably prefer me not running marathons,” Zamkin said. “I never considered running until Jim Harding approached me.”
Finishing the race is still a goal as Zamkin approaches 55. His time isn’t the biggest concern.
The priority, he said, is to turn as many eyes, ears and dollars toward Mercy Home as possible. He raised just under $3,700, as of Oct. 10.
“I was always looking for opportunities to repay (Mercy Home), not that they ever made me feel like I owed them anything,” he said. “I just always felt that because some complete strangers gave me that opportunity, I want to make sure that kids who have similar backgrounds – sometimes even worse backgrounds – had that opportunity to flourish. That’s what Mercy Home offers.”
Zamkin acknowledges that things could’ve easily gone a different direction in his life. He could be angry and selfish. He admits that he wasn’t always grateful for the chance he was given as a teenager. He had a chip on his shoulder and needed to mature to lose it.
Not every child who goes through Mercy Home grows in the same way. They don’t all succeed. Zamkin wants to be an example.
“I think there’s a great opportunity to show these kids what’s possible,” he said. “I want to be a representative for them.”