Guernsey athlete Ethan Woodhead secured a big PB running the Chicago Marathon – and he won the hearts of supporters and the attention of NBC news along the way thanks to his Uncle Phil.
An experienced runner and triathlete, Ethan is used to competing at home and overseas, having completed the London Marathon and others, as well as representing Guernsey in the 2025 Island Games in Orkney.
He often has the support of his family, led by his mum Antoinette cheering him along the course and over the finish line but Ethan’s Chicago Marathon run was going to be a solo affair, with no one travelling with him from Guernsey to America.
That was until his uncle, Phil Woodhead posted a message in a competitor forum on Facebook asking people going to watch the marathon to cheer Ethan on.
Even though Ethan saw the post, thanking his Uncle Phil for the support, he was still surprised by the level of support he received on the course saying “the people of Chicago really turned up for me”.
Photos and videos from the day show many people lining the course had made signs dedicated to Ethan, sharing the well wishes from his uncle and from across Guernsey.
Ethan has called it an “unforgettable race” confirming he completed his eighth marathon in 2 hours 31 minutes and 31 seconds, taking two minutes off his previous personal best.
The good vibes don’t stop there though, with a Facebook page dedicated to good news sharing the story with its 94,000 followers.
There was further support for Ethan and his Chicago supporters too with NBC Chicago picking up the story within hours of the city hosting its flagship marathon.
At the time of writing 189,000 have viewed NBC’s post on Facebook, and nearly 8,000 have liked it.
Ethan told the news company that he estimates around 250 people shouted his name or waved homemade banners supporting him as he ran through the city on Sunday.
He said it was all thanks to his Uncle Phil – who in turn praised Ethan for being “the nicest kid”.
Ethan told his friends and followers that Chicago has given him “memories I’ll never forget”.
He also revealed the number of messages and comments he received across social media from people in Chicago before he even started running.
Thanking everyone at home, in Chicago, and elsewhere for there support he encouraged people to follow him as “there’s going to be so much more”.
