Athlete Stories

Bradley Gertz Half Marathon Story
BY: ABIGAIL GORRITY

Meet Bradley Gertz – One of our resilient athletes running in the Life Time Chicago Half Marathon this September. 

After struggling with his weight for many years, Gertz was then faced with a life-altering diagnosis: “I hit my peak at probably a little over 300 pounds. Then I had a health scare – I ended up getting diagnosed with testicular cancer.” 

Eventually, the pain escalated to a point where Gertz was hospitalized and notified that something needed to be done: “I had to make a split-second decision, to have surgery.” Luckily, the outcome was a success and he was able to begin his healing process.

As Gertz endured his post-surgery recovery, he realized he needed to make a lifestyle change in an effort to improve his health in the long-run: “Once I started to heal, I’m like, okay, I need to make a difference. I now know what my body can do to itself and I want to see what I am capable of. So I quickly turned around my mindset and decided it was just time to get healthier.” 

Gertz found a sense of fulfillment in running. Over time, he found his stride and successfully integrated running as part of his normal routine. “I ran before to lose weight, but was never really into it. But I tapped into a competitive part of myself. I want a new body, I want to change, and I want to continue to push the limit.” With this newfound outlet, his health greatly improved and he began participating in races to feed his competitive drive.

Finally, Gertz signed up for his first half marathon two years ago – the Life Time Chicago Half. “That was the first one where I was like, I’m going to push my limit.” And he did just that. And then he did it again last year, shaving almost 40 minutes off his time from the year prior. 

Brad – you are an inspiration to us all and we greatly appreciate you sharing your story with us. We can’t wait to see you at the start line again this year! #ChiHalfAthleteHighlight