Ryan Bradley - Repeat Marathoner As a recreational runner, Ryan Bradley completed his first marathon while living overseas with his soon-to-be wife Colleen. One child and five marathons later he has set his sights on qualifying to run Boston-A goal he previously missed by 11 seconds! But for both amateur and elite alike, training to become faster has a price. Determined to realize his goal in Chicago, a marathon known throughout the world for its flat and fast course and where runners frequently attempt to qualify, Ryan trains hard and ultimately experiences the marathon in a way never previously imagined.

Leah Caille - First-Time Marathoner Picking-up the pieces from her crumbled marriage-A period in which she subsequently lost fitness and gained weight-Leah Caille found herself at an all-time low. Now a single mother to her seven-year-old daughter Adelaide, Leah started on the path to health and happiness by joining Chicago Endurance Sports' "Learn to Run" program. After completing her first 5k, she went on to dramatically improve her fitness, which led to several more successful races before she decided to take on the ultimate challenge by training for and running the Chicago Marathon.

Deena Kastor - 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist Deena Kastor (formally Deena Drossin) is one of distance running's biggest superstars. As a professional runner for more than a decade, Deena has set numerous American and world records. In addition to her 2004 Olympic Bronze Medal run in the women's marathon-An event in which no American has medaled in 20 years-Deena is the reigning American record holder in the 8k (set in 2005 at the LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle), half marathon and the marathon. After suffering a debilitating foot injury early in the year, Deena sets her sights on the Chicago Marathon, where she hopes to capture her first ever world marathon victory.

Gerald Meyers - Repeat Marathoner While Gerald "Jerry" Meyers has been a runner since the boom of the 1970's, at 65 he had never seriously considered training for the marathon until reading an article about the event in the Chicago Tribune. Now 70, Jerry is in training for his 5th marathon only this one is a bit more special... Along with his 40-year-old daughter Rona, who became inspired to run by watching her father break six hours for the first time, the two are preparing to run all 26.2 miles together!

Daniel Njenga - World Class Marathoner A native of Nyahururu, Kenya, 29-year-old Daniel Njenga showed promise as a world-class distance runner at a young age. Today, he lives and trains in Japan, where he receives corporate sponsorship and races worldwide. The Tokyo International Marathon Champion, has run a personal best in the marathon of 2:06:16, which ranks him as one of the all-time fastest runners in the world! He not only loves to run, but performing well means enormous financial gain, which in turn is often reinvested in homeland infrastructure. Following the Chicago Marathon, Daniel will return home to Kenya where he will be reunited with his wife Monicah.

Lori O'Connor - First-Time Marathoner Representing the latest boom in distance running, 26-year-old Lori O'Connor is a PhD student in sociology at Northwestern University. Continually setting high goals for herself, Lori has decided to take on yet another major challenge - to run her first marathon. During four months of training under the guidance of the Chicago Area Runner's Association (CARA) she reveals to us her motivations for taking on this challenge, which will include raising funds for Genesis of Pittsburgh, the non-profit adoption agency, which matched her with a family as an infant.