"JC's do hard things." I am doing the hard thing of running the 2024 Chicago Marathon to honor my best friend, Justin Lars Conner, who passed in July 2023.

Justin's appreciation for lifelong learning and gratitude shaped his approach to life.  He saw every experience, including his many tribulations, as an opportunity to grow.  He remained thankful for his journey in an awe inspiring, infectious way.  He schooled us to embrace gratitude in learning as a guiding principle in our lives.

Justin cherished his education, recognizing it as the catalyst for his positive impact on the world.  He deeply appreciated his mother's sacrifice and understood the significance of her hard work in ensuring he had access to values based schools.

I chose to run for Big Shoulders Fund as a fitting tribute to Justin's ability to shoulder challenges and extract high-minded lessons from them, exemplifying his remarkable character.  This program includes Justin's former schools, and embodies Justin's ethos of perseverance and empowerment through learning. 

He leaves behind a new born daughter who inherits his legacy of learning, his love of Chicago, and his belief that all children deserve access to educational opportunities to grow into their destiny.