Why Allen Drown Runs for the Parks
Our runners make it happen! Meet Team ChiParks in our ongoing ‘Why I Run for the Parks’ blog series highlighting members of our 2024 charity team.
The Chicago Parks Foundation has been a proud Bank of America Chicago Marathon charity partner since 2013, as well as the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle and the Bank of America Chicago 13.1.
These dedicated runners choose to make their miles extra meaningful by running on behalf of a charity. Since our start, Team ChiParks and their supporters have raised over $1.5 million for the parks - vital park projects, community programming, our citywide volunteer efforts, and more. This is the Chicago Parks Foundation’s largest annual fundraiser!
Meet Allen Drown, joining Team ChiParks to complete his first Chicago Marathon and third marathon overall!
Allen completed his first marathon in New York City last November, and before this October’s race he’ll also have completed Grandma’s in Duluth this June.
WHAT DOES RUNNING THE 2024 BANK OF AMERICA CHICAGO MARATHON MEAN TO YOU?
As Chicago has been my home since 2018, I am excited to run the city with my friends and family in a whole new way.
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING WITH TEAM CHIPARKS?
I am an avid supporter of the parks. The parks are probably Chicago’s most important asset, second only to its people. I really got to know the Chicago parks the summer of 2020, during some of the worst of the pandemic. Being able to sit outside with friends in a safe matter really helped me get through it. Like many other people, I picked up long distance running as a hobby around the same time and the Lakefront Trail gave me a safe and beautiful place to improve my skills.
“The parks are probably Chicago’s most important asset, second only to its people.”
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT CHICAGO PARKS?
Living in Chicago can feel so expensive. Having access to the parks for some free fun is the highlight of the city. I normally go down to North Avenue Beach twice a week in the summer to play some volleyball, and I have spent countless hours sitting on the concrete beach overlooking the city skyline. Also, I’m a big fan of the polar plunges in the winter.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT TRAINING FOR THE CHICAGO MARATHON?
Nothing gets me more pumped up for the Marathon than watching all the crazies (including myself) do 16-mile runs at 5AM on an August Saturday to beat the heat.
OTHER THAN RUNNING, WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR FREE TIME?
I love to travel. Normally during the year, I go and visit friends throughout the US and I try to do a backpacking trek at a national park in the summer. (I did Yosemite last year and Glacier the year before.) After the Marathon, I look to do something international. Last year I spent two weeks in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia after the New York Marathon. This year I am looking at Namibia and Botswana in late October.
