BEVERLY — Don Larisey of Beverly didn't follow his dad, Donald, into a career with the Chicago Police Department, but he'll follow him this Sunday in the Chicago Marathon.
The father-son team have 26.2 miles to bond at the 2014 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, while raising money for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation.
"We've just kind of been pushed together toward this," said Don Larisey, 36.
Howard Ludwig says the marathon is a bonding opportunity for the father and son:
Donald Larisey worked for 41 years as a police sergeant in Chicago. He retired in 2010 and now lives in far southwest suburban Shorewood. Don Larisey works is the operations manager for restaurant supplier MT Food Service in West Town.
Donald Larisey, 67, weighed close to 400 pounds at the time of his retirement. Since then, he's been on a mission to shed the weight through diet and exercise.
"I decided I needed to make a change. I'm down to 220 or 215 pounds now ... depending what day it is," he said.
During his father's dramatic weight loss, Don Larisey ran the 2012 Chicago Marathon. He was inspired by his wife, Ashley, who's a lifelong runner. His dad also came to see the race and was encouraged by his son's achievement.
Don Larisey said he expects to run alongside his father, though Donald Larisey said if the pair gets separated it won't lessen the accomplishment. In fact, the Lariseys haven't done much training together — a result of their offsetting schedules and the 40 miles that separate their homes.
"The only running we did was the Ridge Run. We did the 10K together," Donald Larisey said of the annual Memorial Day race in Beverly.
Donald and Mary Kay Larisey raised Don and his three siblings on the South Side in West Lawn. The family has a 103-year history of having someone working for the Chicago Police Department that continues to this day.
But that long history is marred with tragedy. Donald Larisey's uncle and Mary Kay Larisey's great uncle were both killed in the line of duty.
It's with them and others in mind that the father-son team joined the 50-member Chicago Police Memorial Foundation marathon team. Each member of the team is asked to raise $1,000, which both the Lariseys expect to exceed.
Despite their separate training schedules, Don said he speaks with his dad about four times a week. Their conversations often involve hamstrings and blisters.
Donald "does a lot of research with healthy foods. So he's been really helpful," said Don Larisey, who highly recommends his dad's "power salad."
In June, Don Larisey was at a family gathering and told his father that he was eating his last bite of fried food before the marathon.
"What's fried food?" Donald Larisey joked.
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