Carrera de los Muertos draws several thousand runners to Pilsen

Several thousand runners raced through Pilsen Saturday morning to raise money for a local nonprofit and to pay tribute to their deceased loved ones.

The Carrera de los Muertos is an annual 5k race benefiting UNO, a Chicago-based nonprofit that works to empower young girls across the city through leadership, professional development and other programs.

Now in its 17th year, the race has become a tradition and part of thousands of people's annual celebrations for Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday typically observed Nov. 1-2 and dedicated to remembering loved ones who have died.

"This is a way for our community to keep their memories alive," said Maya Solis, executive director of UNO. "It's a celebration of life, community and culture."

Participants wore traditional Dia de los Muertos face paint and costumes representing their Mexican culture. The runners' shirts were decorated with marigolds, known in Mexico as cempasuchil, because it's believed their vibrant color and scent helps people's ancestors find their way back for the holiday.

A DJ played a mix of house music, merengue and mariachi, while vendors sold flower crowns, food and other traditional Mexican items.

Runners were rewarded with a free churro and medals that doubled as frames in which people could display a photo of their loved ones at their ofrenda, an altar that is set up for Dia de los Muertos to welcome deceased loved ones back to the living world.

"That's what makes this race so special — we maintain the integrity of the culture," Solis said.

The race, which had a record-breaking 7,000 participants this year, raised money for UNO's RunHer program, a collaboration with NAMI Chicago that supports middle school girls as they train to run in Carrera de los Muertos.

"This was a lot of these girls' first 5K, which is such an empowering thing for them to participate in," said Brenda Bahena, bilingual education and engagement specialist for NAMI Chicago. "By facing this, they realize they can accomplish any challenge they put their mind to."

For Elizabeth Gonzalez, the race was an opportunity to educate her young daughter, Joy Capetillo, about Dia de los Muertos and pass down the tradition.

"We were learning about the crowns and headpieces that are worn for the holiday, so we made our own to get in the spirit," Gonzalez, of Burbank, said. "It's a beautiful way to bring back our heritage."

Joy said she was running in honor of her grandma, who died of lung challenges, she said.

"I'm grateful that she's in heaven and at peace, but especially that we get to celebrate and remember her today," Joy said.

Julia Rios ran the 5k wearing a folklorico skirt, which are worn for Mexican dances and performances. It was a nod to her grandmother and great-grandmother's love for dancing, she said. Rios and her family members also ran the race holding pictures of the two ancestors dancing together.

The race kicked off her family's week-long celebration of Dia de los Muertos, Rios said.

"On Nov. 2 we do the ofrenda, so after this we'll be sitting around that and sharing stories to remember people like my grandmother and great-grandmother," Rios said. "Then all weekend will be a big party with lots of dancing and food from our culture."

New to the race this year was a digital ofrenda, which consisted of a large screen displaying more than 200 photos of loved ones that were submitted by participants, Solis said. It was decorated with marigolds from Petals from Heaven, 5708 S. Pulaski Road in West Elsdon.

Claudia Sandoval, who participated in Saturday's race, said seeing her late mother's photo pop up on the digital ofrenda reminded her of the day's purpose.

"It let me know that she's here with me," Sandoval said. "I always ask her to send a sign to me, and this was it."

Sandoval, of Pilsen, planned to continue celebrating Dia de los Muertos with her family at home.

"We're going to sit around our ofrenda, look at everybody's pictures and reminisce about when they were with us," Sandoval said. "We're going to cry and we're going to laugh, but at the end, we're all going to remember that they're still with us and will never be forgotten."