Reilly Schneider and Olivia Purcell were ready and excited to compete in their third 24-Hour Run, an annual end-of-year challenge for Cary Junior High students in which teams of 13 or 14 run a continuous relay over 24 hours.
Tents are set up on the grass and students take turns running four times around the track, while their classmates cheer them on, have a snack to refuel and, in the early morning hours, take a nap before waking, stretching and running again.
The 24-hour run tests a student's ability to overcome physical and mental obstacles, as well as teaches them lessons about goal setting and following through, commitment, dedication and discipline.
Reilly and Olivia competed as sixth- and seventh-graders and were going to be recognized for finishing their third year of the challenge. This year's run was canceled because of COVID-19.
"I immediately wanted to try it and a bunch of my friends we’re going to do it with me," Reilly said. "It is an overall great experience about pushing your limits and seeing the amazing things your body is capable of. My favorite part would have to be making new friends whom you have never met before and just having a lot of fun."
Unable to race this year, along with missing out on a normal graduation ceremony and eighth-grade dance, Schneider's parents, Julie and Todd, had an idea: why not recreate the 24-hour run in their neighborhood?
"We have four kids with graduation ceremonies canceled, proms canceled and eighth-grade dances canceled already," Julie said. "I was like, 'Come on!' A little yard sign isn’t going to do it."
Beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, members from both families took turns running a mile apiece for 24 hours around a neighborhood court, or "five times around the court on the sidewalk, plus all the way up to the big tree."
By Saturday morning, each runner had logged 10 miles and were going strong.
Reilly and Olivia were on board with the idea right away.
"I was super bummed I wasn’t able to do it this year," Reilly said. "We immediately loved the idea. I’ve had great experiences with my friends doing it, so I hope me and my family will have the same great experience that I’ve been able to have, and I think it will bring our family closer together."
Julie called the Cary Police Department to OK the 24-hour run and neighbors said that they would keep their lights on at night for all of the runners and display balloons and decorations in their front yards.
Neighbors and teachers from Cary Junior have stopped by to cheer on runners and donate money to Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge.
In mid-March, Julie and Todd's oldest daughter, Morgan, a senior at Cary-Grove High School, was admitted to the ICU at Lutheran Children’s Hospital and put into isolation after two weeks of an unbreakable fever and persistent cough.
Morgan's fever broke in two days in ICU and the whole Schneider family was quarantined for 14 days, unable to even step outside. No one else in the family ever had symptoms and Morgan tested negative for COVID-19 and diagnosed with pneumonia.
The Schneider family questions the diagnosis and now are trying to acquire an antibody test.
"I’ve never seen anything like it with her," Julie said. "She has had pneumonia one other time. It didn't affect her this way. We all believe that she had it but we’re fine saying she didn’t. No one in our house got anything like that."
Even with the scare and physical and mental toll it took on her and the entire family, Morgan joined Reilly and her two younger brothers, Ethan and Brayden, in the run. Olivia was joined by older brother, Dan, and parents, Loren and Chris Purcell.
"She told us, 'I wanna do it, I wanna do it,' Julie said of Morgan. "She did the 24-hour run (in junior high), so they were looking forward to doing it together."
Outside of school, Reilly dances ballet and tap at Cary-Grove Performing Arts Centre. Unfortunately, spring and summer performances for those were canceled.
"That’s just another time she gets to be in the spotlight," Julie said. "We picked up the costume, but we don’t get to do anything with it."
The 24-hour run was a way to get back some normalcy for Reilly, Julie said.
"It’s really great, because they’re always supportive of me, and they try to help me every step of the way in anything and everything I decide to do," Reilly said. "It’s really great of them to help me do this."
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Cary family organizes 24-hour run for eighth-grade daughter and friend - Northwest Herald
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