In October, the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon saw a record-breaking 54,351 runners. With over a million spectators, the 26.2-mile race wound through 29 Chicago neighborhoods.
Amid this massive event, students from National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) volunteered to be on the marathon’s medical team. Students from the Illinois and Florida campuses came together to represent the university and support runners and spectators. Sports Council – IL coordinated the students’ involvement, and now plans to make volunteering there an annual event.
Twenty-three NUHS students worked in several spotter towers throughout the event.
“We were all in charge of identifying runners in need of various stages of medical assistance and calling on triage teams to come and assess the runner,” said Frank Frydrych, DC, Chief Chiropractic Clinician and event supervisor. “We had students responsible for making calls on radios for medical assistance, using megaphones to direct and assist local triage teams and helping people with other non-medical issues.”
Being medical volunteers gave students a chance to work in a high-stress environment that embodied an integrative medicine approach and connect their academic learning with actual patients and situations, helping them build confidence and refine their clinical judgment. “Having NUHS students assist at this event gave them an opportunity to see firsthand what it means to be a licensed medical professional in practice. For them to witness the amount of effort, professionalism, responsibility and dedication to patients is immensely beneficial,” Frydrych said. Working with medical professionals across specialties also brings students opportunities for networking and mentorship.
For more information, visit nuhs.edu.
