Jason Geil feels special after running his first marathon

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Six days before the 2014 Chicago Marathon, as the Arizona sun sets over the Grand Canyon, Jason Geil cracks open a beer.

Sitting next to his wife, his feet dangling over the south rim, he takes in the view. Satisfied, he sips from the can and mentally checks off an item from his bucket list: Visit the Grand Canyon.

In rapid succession, the next item checked off is the Chicago Marathon.

•••

Geil, a Cincinnati native, has lived in Oak Park for four years. He was a photojournalist at the Cincinnati Post until it closed in 2007, then moved with his wife to the Chicago suburbs with the intent on making a name for himself in a new city.

He started his own photography company and says he’s been published in Rolling Stone, USA Today, ESPN the Magazine, The New York Times and has worked with organizations such as the Major League Baseball, Nike, Gatorade and the Illinois High School Association. He has also worked as a freelancer for the Oak Leaves and the Chicago Sun-Times.

One particular assignment struck a personal chord.

After working with Special Olympics Chicago in 2013 and shooting the Chicago Marathon, Geil walked along the race course to find Susan Nicholl, the executive director of Special Children’s Charities. He told her: “I’m not going to shoot this for you next year. I’m going to run it.”

“I was confident that day when I told Susan that I would run,” Geil said. “But there’s always a doubt that you can actually do it.”

What ignited his feeling was photographing runners at the 25 1⁄2-mile mark. That’s where the Special Olympics camp sets up every year, flashing the most satisfying high-fives of the race, giving every competitor that needed last surge.

“When the runners are on their last gasp, just almost at the cusp of major accomplishment,” he said, “the Special Olympic athletes are there, cheering ‘em on. … It brings goose bumps to my arms right now. I remember exactly how that felt. That’s what really and truly did it for me.”

“In particular, he saw the immediate effects in that magical kind of moment,” Nicholl said. “When you run for something larger than yourself, you know it’s going to make a lasting difference in the lives of other people.”

That, with a little encouragement from a friend from back home who already put a marathon under his belt, Geil had all the motivation necessary.

An athlete in high school, Geil, 36, played baseball and ran cross country, but since then kept his physical activity to the occasional jog and a round of golf. So, like many others preparing for their first competition, he clicked on Google and typed, “How do you train for a marathon?”

He started running in May, pushing his body to the limit. Then, as the mile markers increased, he extended his limits.

“I’ve run a few 20-mile runs and I’ve done one 22-miler,” he said. “Before that it was a 13, then a 16, then an 18. Throughout that training, you get a certain mentality of ‘I can do this.’ I’m definitely visualizing that picture of me crossing the finish line. Now, it might look like a dead man walking, but I have this vision of it and I don’t think anything’s gonna stop me.”

Behind the training, the basis for Geil’s involvement was always in the back of his mind. Working with the Special Olympics changed the way he saw athletes and his role as a contributor to a meaningful cause.

“I’ve tried to volunteer my time, my efforts and my talents, but never tried to raise money,” he said. “It’s opened my mind to think about what else I can do to help others. Because if I’m going to do a bucket list for me, how can it help someone else? It’s such a great feeling to scratch this off my list, but at the exact same time to know that it also helps raise money for this really amazing cause.”

Friends and family followed the donation link on his Facebook page and pledged $2,200 to the Special Olympics.

“People run for Special Olympics because they have a profound interest in the organization,” said Jen Kramer, a board member of Special Olympics Chicago. “Jason is not only a world-class photographer but became a very good friend of the organization and has contributed a lot of time, energy and effort to helping us. We’re very proud to have him run on behalf of Special Olympics.”

•••

Fourteen miles in on Sunday, Geil’s legs begin to cramp: calves, quads, hamstrings and the rest of his lower half feels stiff. He started too fast.

Laboring down the streets of Chicago and through more than 20 neighborhoods, he finally hits the 25 1/2-mile mark. The Special Olympics camp wears all red, waves and hollers, offering high-fives. He said he sees this and feels his legs become lighter; a weight from his shoulders is lifted. Hugs, smiles, someone hands him a flag.

With the Special Olympics flag in hand, Geil approaches the banner that reads “Finish” on Columbus Drive. The sight gives him the goose bumps he anticipated. He follows 18,135 runners across the finish, clocking in at 4:19:57, or about 10 minutes a mile.

“That makes me not very special,” Geil said with a laugh. “But in my mind that has no significance at all. I’m just happy I did it.”

Geil reflected on the difference between sitting on the sidelines and being a part of the action.

“Having photographed it from the edges it was almost surreal,” he said. “In photography, you look for these moments and little splices of life. As a runner, you do the same thing but it’s one collective vision.”

The Grand Canyon. The Chicago Marathon. Two down in one short week.

“I’ll tell you what’s next on my list today,” he said after the race. “Absolutely nothing.”

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