Frequently Asked Questions

All members of Lurie Children’s Marathon Team will be responsible for the $50 team fee (paid at time of registration with team) as well as the Bank of America Chicago Marathon fee of $240 (US Residents)/ $250 (Non Residents) (paid separately to Chicago Marathon). Both of these fees are non-refundable.

Each year, funds raised through our marathon team goes to supporting life-saving care that Lurie Children’s provides every day. Fundraising dollars could go towards advancing technology, conducting research, training physicians and clinical staff, or one of our many other areas of greatest need.

If you do not reach 75% of your goal by October 1, 2024, you will have your participant bib held from packet pick up at the Abbott Health & Fitness Expo. In order to have your participant bib released, you will be required to visit the Lurie Children’s booth at the expo and pay the difference owed or turn in any donations that make up the difference before you are signed off to pick up your race bib.

If your fundraising minimum is not received on or before November 13, 2024, Lurie Children’s will charge the remaining balance to the runner's credit card. You will be notified before the charge is made. You must guarantee your minimum fundraising amount, with a credit card, at the time of your team registration.

Runners who experience an injury, illness, or other medical event such as pregnancy that requires them to withdraw from the race are required to submit medical documentation. Runners who provide this documentation before August 1st will be required to raise 50% of their fundraising minimum. Runners who withdraw after August 1st will be required to meet 100% or their fundraising minimum (Pre-lottery: $1,250. Post-lottery: $1,750, Self-Secured: $625).

The $50 Lurie Children’s team fee and the $230 (US Residents)/ $240 (Non Residents) entry fee paid to Bank of America Chicago Marathon are non-refundable, no matter when notification is given. Charity entries may not be deferred, transferred, or refunded. For more information on the Bank of America Chicago Marathon deferment process, please click here.

If a runner decides not to complete the Chicago Marathon for non-injury related reasons (ex: relocation, conflict, etc.), they are responsible for their full fundraising commitment.

The fastest and easiest way for your supporters to make a donation on your behalf is to refer them to the personal fundraising page you create on this website. If they prefer, they can fill out this offline donation form and mail it to:

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation
Attn: Community Events
Department 4586
Carol Stream, IL 60122-4586

Yes, all donations in which goods or services are not received are 100% tax deductible. The Foundation will send a gift receipt and acknowledgement letter to anyone who makes a donation on behalf of a Lurie Children’s Marathon Team member.

After team members create a personal fundraising page, they will gain access to free online tools and tips to help them reach and exceed their fundraising goals. This includes sample e-mail templates, social media posts and images and general fundraising ideas. Visit the Fundraising Tips page for all your fundraising resources.

Fundraising Toolkit (pdf)

The matching gifts tool, which is used to check if your company has a matching gift program for healthcare organizations, is currently being updated and cannot be accessed at this time. If you know your company matches donations, please continue with the process below.

See if your company has a matching gift program for healthcare organizations. You will need to complete a matching gift form (available from your company's Human Resources department) and send it in with your donation. Please ensure that your name and “Lurie Children’s Marathon Team” is linked to the donation, or we cannot guarantee that it will be credited towards your fundraising.

Matching gifts will count towards your fundraising goal if it arrives before November 13, 2024. Since many companies have varying payout schedules, we recommend submitting your donation for a match as early as possible. Once you confirm your matching gift, please fill out this form to ensure the donation gets allocated towards your fundraising.

Lurie Children’s Tax ID: 36-3357006

Log in to the participant headquarters at any time to track your fundraising progress. When a donation is made online, it is processed automatically and added to your fundraising total. Donations made by check, giving foundation or money order will be processed and counted toward your fundraising total within 15 business days after they are received by Lurie Children’s Foundation.

Lurie Children’s Marathon Team does not accept funds raised through a Facebook or Instagram fundraiser. Participants should only be using their personal fundraising page created when joining our team on Engaging Networks. If you would like to engage your social media network, we encourage you to share the url at the top of your personal fundraising page.

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon takes place on Sunday, October 13, 2024.

Runners who raise $1000 (or $500 for Self-Secured participants) before July 1, 2024 will be eligible for their singlets to be mailed to them. Note that we only mail within the continential US. All other runners will be able to pick up their singlet at the Pasta Dinner or the Chicago Marathon Abbott Health & Fitness Expo in October. T-shirts for friends and family will be available for pick up at the pasta dinner or the expo as well.

All packets must be picked up in-person by the runner during the Chicago Marathon Abbott Health & Fitness Expo. Every runner is required to pick up their own bib for safety and security reasons. If you haven’t reached 75% of your fundraising by October 1, your bib will be held and you will need to stop by the Lurie Children’s Marathon Team booth to pay the difference owed before your bib is released.

Please contact Sophia Paarz at [email protected].