Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend Provides Free Hands-Only CPR Trainings Ahead of 2025 Event

February 12, 2025

The program was created in honor of a participant saved by CPR during last year’s race

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (February 12, 2025) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/  – The Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend team has put together a free Hands-Only CPR training program in an effort to provide runners, volunteers, and community members access to learning this life-saving skill. The first round of training sessions took place on Feb. 8, and with the large interest shown, the program has been expanded to include additional rounds of training sessions. The additional sessions will take place on Saturday, March 15 at Christie Clinic at The Fields and on Friday, April 25 as part of Race Weekend. Session times on March 15 will include 1 and 1:45 p.m. The session time on April 25 is 4 p.m., and the location will be announced soon. The training is free of charge and open to anyone, but those interested must register in advance here.

During the Christie Clinic Half Marathon last April, 45-year-old Christie Clinic surgeon Rafael Ruggieri suffered a cardiac arrest while running in Meadowbrook Park. Rafael survived because of the care he received that day, which began with high-quality CPR by his son, Isaac, who was running with him that day, and three other runners, who also knew Hands-Only CPR. This event kick-started the idea for the Hands-Only CPR program.

All Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend runners who attend a training session receive a full set of BibBoards, an alternative to safety pins used to secure race bibs to race shirts. The BibBoards say “I AM HANDS-ONLY CPR-TRAINED.” Participants of the program also receive a back bib that is optional to wear on race day that says, “I AM HANDS-ONLY CPR-TRAINED.” Those who attend the training who will be working the race in any capacity, including volunteers, will also receive the BibBoards and the “I AM HANDS-ONLY CPR TRAINED” back bib.

“Year after year our race team continues to adapt our Race Weekend to ensure that it is accessible and safe no matter the circumstances,” said Jan Seeley, race director of the Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend. “With the new CPR program taking place ahead of Race Weekend, we hope to both spread awareness for the importance of knowing Hands-On CPR, as well as provide as many participants that are interested the opportunity to learn the life-saving skill.”

“We’ve always believed that we wanted to teach our son how to do CPR, and when we saw this attached to the race and understood this was tied to what happened during the race last April, we thought this was a great chance to do that,” said Marc Bralts, Hands-Only CPR training attendee. “Training was very straightforward, very basic. Everybody can do it. It’s just one of those things that really helps you establish confidence, of what to do in that situation, and for that it was perfect.”

The Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend will return this year from April 24-26. Registration for Race Weekend is currently open for all distances, which includes the marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, mile, marathon relay, youth run and eight multi-event challenges. The courses offer scenic tours of the University of Illinois campus, downtown Champaign-Urbana & Savoy streets, tree-lined residential neighborhoods and paved park trail. Participants will experience a one-of-a-kind finish line located at the 50-yard line of the University of Illinois’ historic Memorial Stadium.

For more information about Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend, visit

www.IllinoisMarathon.com and follow the event on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

About Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend

The Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend is an annual running event that takes participants through the scenic streets of Champaign-Urbana & Savoy, Ill., drawing over 15,000 runners in past years. Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend is led by award-winning Race Director Jan Seeley. The event made a triumphant post-pandemic return and remains committed to fostering a happy, healthy community in central Illinois. The 2025 edition will take place on April 24-26, 2025, and will feature a 1-mile, 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon, 4-person relay, youth run, and multi-event challenges. To learn more about the Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend, visit www.IllinoisMarathon.com.