Thousands of runners, joggers and walkers carrying thoughts of deceased loved ones scampered around Pilsen Saturday morning during a themed 5K race for the Day of the Dead.
Some ran the “Carrera de los Muertos,” or “race of the dead,” wearing skeleton makeup and predominately white and black costumes. Others, like Daniel Alvarez, who ran in a piñata bodysuit, incorporated more colors into their outfits.
While celebrating the Day of the Dead — a holiday typically observed by people of Mexican heritage on Nov. 1 and 2 — by building home altars or visiting graves is more common, Alvarez and other participants said running is a good way to pay respects to the deceased.
“If you see my bib, I have a picture of a dog that was really close to me that passed away last year,” said Alvarez, a 28-year-old Norwood Park resident, between deep breaths near the finish line. “And then I have both of my grandmothers on the other side of my chest. So I decided to put them on my bib. (I’m) doing this run for them.”
About 7,000 participated in the race, which began around 8 a.m. near Benito Juarez Community Academy on West Cermak Road. It’s a 17-year-old tradition that raises money for United Neighborhood Organization, a Chicago nonprofit with educational programs for middle and high school girls.
Solskin Gomez-Krogh, a senior program manager at the organization, said the 5K is similar to the organization’s programs because both uplift people, especially Latino community members.
“It really connects to the other work that we’re doing because it empowers the Latino community,” Gomez-Krogh said.
Daniel Morales, 48, of Berwyn, and his wife have been running in the race for about a decade, they said. Morales, who remembers when the race had around 150 participants, said in recent years, the race has grown and the celebration of the Day of the Dead in Chicago has become a bigger deal.
“That’s a good thing because in the future, you’re going to see even bigger things coming from this,” said Morales, who is originally from Mexico and has lived in the Chicago area for about three decades. Morales said before the race he was thinking about his father, who died last year.
Morales was planning to run in a large black sombrero with green, red and white accents. He didn’t think the hat would bother him too much during the 5K because he was an experienced runner who had completed a marathon. Morales also noted that his attire situation was more favorable than that of those in full-body costumes.
Virginia Ortega, a first-time runner from North Riverside, wore a brightly-colored “flower crown” that was supposed to activate Ortega’s deceased loved ones so that they could be with her. Ortega wasn’t worried about the crown affecting her race performance. “It feels pretty comfy,” said the 39-year-old, who was running with a friend.
Ortega said before the race she would be running for her deceased brothers.
“El Día de los Muertos, what it means to me (is) just remembering your loved ones and always keeping them in your heart and running adds an extra touch to it,” Ortega said, referring to the name of the holiday in Spanish.
Isa Lozano, 33, of Humboldt Park, was one of the vendors set up on an athletic field near the starting line. She was selling crochet, knitted and other handmade items crafted by her mother-in-law out of materials from Mexico.
Lozano, who thought the holiday was a good opportunity to remember lost loved ones and pass on culture to the next generation, explained how clothing might subtly remind people of those who have died.
“When you see something — whether it’s the color, shape, size — it reminds you of that special someone,” Lozano said.
Francisco Solano, a 48-year-old who lives in Glendale Heights and planned to walk the 5K, wore a top hat, a skull mask and a cape. The cape belonged to a dear friend who recently died, he said.
Solano’s friend used to be part of a musical group with Solano. The group played all types of instruments and traveled to Spain, Puerto Rico and other spots around the world. The cape’s dozens of patches designated the many places the group had performed.
“Everyone has somebody to represent,” Solano said.
Alvarez, the runner in the piñata costume, said he was in Mexico last year during the Day of the Dead holiday and that inspired him to run in Saturday’s race with a group of 10 guys.
“It’s all about just getting everybody involved in the community, giving back to the community,” Alvarez said. “If you have to walk it, walk it. If you want to jog it, jog it. If you want to run it, run it.”
Alvarez said he began running in May, completed a half marathon in September and finished the 5K in under 22 minutes.
