CHICAGO — When the Chicago Marathon was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sister Stephanie Baliga decided to run all 26.2 miles in her convent's basement.
Baliga has run the marathon for the past nine consecutive years. This year she ran the race on Aug. 23 entirely on a treadmill to raise money for the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels food pantry in Chicago. Baliga also submitted her time of 3 hours and 33 minutes to Guinness World Records for timed marathon on a treadmill.
So far, she has raised more than $140,000 which will be used to "respond to the complicated needs created by COVID-19 and the social unrest of summer 2020." Funding will also be allocated to finish renovations on an outreach center in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood.
The Mission of Our Lady of Angels food pantry feeds about 2,000 families a month, according to their website.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.