Huddled beneath four layers of long shirts, thick sweaters and topped with matching bright blue Nike jackets, volunteers at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon braved the cold morning air with smiles on their faces and sleep in their eyes.

The sun wouldn’t be up for hours, but volunteers and workers alike scurried about the volunteer compound in Grant Park preparing for the start of the 35th annual marathon Oct. 7.

Among the early morning volunteers were many familiar faces of DePaul students. Several members of DePaul’s Alpha Phi Omega co-ed service fraternity arrived at Grant Park at 4 a.m. to volunteer at the Balbo Hospitality tent.

The towering white peaks of the hospitality tent made it look like it belonged in a circus from the outside, and a five-star banquet hall from the inside with multiple buffet spreads of fresh fruit, bagels, muffins and other assorted breakfast goods.

As the start time of the race got closer, the large circular tables quickly filled with runners and their families, downing their breakfast and doing their best to mentally prepare for the over 26-mile run.

At 6:45 a.m. the Alpha Phi Omega volunteers began escorting the first wave runners to the starting line. During the five-minute walk from the tent to the line many of the escorts, such as Lauren Theall, junior, were treated to short stories from the runners.

“My favorite people I talked to were this group of Australian guys,” said Theall. “This was their eighth marathon they had run so they weren’t very nervous, it was just so crazy.”

Another Alpha Phi Omega volunteer, Kathleen Katsikeas a junior at DePaul, also enjoyed the stories from the runners and received some words of wisdom.

“A lot of runners told me that this was their third and fourth time running the marathon, and at first they never thought they’d be able to, yet here they are,” said Katsikeas. “They told me I could run it one day too, you just got to train and do it.”

Besides volunteering at the event, Katsikeas was there to cheer on fellow Chicagoans and friends in the race. Just as many DePaulians could be found volunteering at the race, as many could be found at the starting (and finish) line.

One of whom was junior Dani Prebeck, who ran and finished the 26-mile trek around the city for a second time.

“I ran the marathon because I have a big passion for running,” said Prebeck. “I wanted to push myself to accomplish a strenuous journey and prove to myself that anything is possible.”

Prebeck trained for the marathon following a modified 18-week program; however, she cites the support from family and friends as the biggest help and best part of the marathon for her.

“I couldn’t have finished or had the motivation to finish without everyone’s belief in me,” said Prebeck.

Prebeck’s journey wasn’t without difficulty. During the race, she had moments where she hit “the wall.”

“My body wasn’t responding to my mind,” said Prebeck. “It was very difficult to stay focused and not pay attention to the pain I was in.”

Prebeck was able to power through the pain and ended up crossing the finish line. She encourages everyone who has ever thought of running a marathon to do one.

“It’s one of the most accomplishing feelings I have ever felt and I know everyone else feels the same,” she said.

Meagan Lynch, another DePaul junior who completed the marathon, agreed with Prebeck.

“It was such a great feeling knowing that I worked so hard for so long and I was finally able to accomplish such an amazing feat,” said Lynch.

Unlike Prebeck, this was Lynch’s first marathon. After wanting to run the marathon for the past two years, Lynch was able to register with a charity team after the race sold out. She chose to run with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s team in honor of her grandfather, who battled Lymphoma on and off for 40 years.

“I knew this was the perfect opportunity for me to fight for a cure so others don’t have to experience the pain I watched him go through,” said Lynch. “His memory really kept me going through the rough parts of the course.”

Despite 7 a.m. Saturday practices and weekly cross-training since May, Lynch still faced difficulties while running.

“The pain is so intense in the later miles, but just the thought of finishing and accomplishing something so empowering and amazing was what got me through,” said Lynch. “My coaches told me not to look back and I just kept my eyes forward to the end.”

Lynch succeeded in keeping her eyes forward to the end and made it to the finish line back in Grant Park.

“It was one of the most intense moments I’ve ever experienced,” said Lynch. “The actual finish sign is about 10 feet after the last sensor and it took that distance for it to really set in that I had just run a marathon.”