His uncle made one Facebook request before his nephew's Chicago Marathon. Strangers went above and beyond
' I just wanted to stop and give them a hug,' Ethan recalled wanting to do.
A little kindness can go a long way. That was exactly what powered 24-year-old Ethan Woodhead while he was running the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 11. Ethan travelled 4,000 miles from Guernsey, UK, to Chicago for the marathon, but he had no one in the U.S. to cheer for him. Phil Woodhead, his uncle, felt bad that he couldn't be there to cheer for his nephew, so he wrote a post on the Chicago Marathon 2026 Facebook page. He asked strangers to cheer for Ethan. The October 9, 2026 post blew up, garnering more than 6,700 likes, 590 comments, and 180 reshares.
Facebook 'request'
Phil Woodhead spoke to the BBC and explained why he wrote the post. "There was something in me that hated the idea that nobody would be there to support him, so I thought why not ask people at the marathon to give him a cheer." In the post, he explained that Ethan traveled to the U.S. alone to run the marathon. "He travelled solo and has no support in Chicago." Phil's request was to "see if we can surprise him with an occasional cheer along the route! If you’re going on Sunday to spectate and have no one to cheer for, please give him the surprise of his life and cheer him on."
'Lost for words'
Ethan had no clue about his uncle's request. He told the news outlet, "I didn't expect one person to know me. I travelled here on my own, but I had people screaming my name, confetti, homemade banners, and I'm just lost for words." He said that running a marathon was not an easy feat, but having people who supported and cheered for him all the way was "such a pick-me-up." He was taken aback by the crowd, but "soaked it all in, blowing kisses, and high-fiving people, I just wanted to stop and give them a hug." The best part was that Phil asked people to give Ethan an "occasional cheer," but when Ethan called his uncle after the marathon, Phil recalled, "He [Ethan] called me right after the marathon and said he had cheers on every street, on every mile."
Marathon hype men
Crowd support can matter during a grueling race, but Ethan’s story also reflects how willing strangers can be to show up for one another. In a March 2- 18, 2026 Gallup survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults, 65% said they had personally experienced an act of kindness from someone in their community at least a few times in the previous week. Another 60% said they often or very often saw people treating others with kindness and respect. Hearing people cheer for him gave Ethan the boost he needed. He said, "It pulled me along the whole way."
As for the fact that strangers cheered for him, a 2025 report from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) found that 6% of Americans did a good deed for someone who is a complete stranger to them and would be unlikely to see again, and they did it more than 12 times in 2024. 7% did it 6 to 11 times, while 16% of Americans did it 3 to 5 times. Phil said to NBC Chicago, "It didn’t cost anyone anything; it was just pure love, just pure wanting to do something nice for someone else. And that’s what I take from this. How wonderful is that."
Mission accomplished
Netizens readily offered their support, and a few others even offered free meals and drinks if Ethan wanted or needed it. Alisha Rae wrote, "We’ll add him to the Fireplace Inn sign! I think we’re close to halfway at 1448 N Wells St! Get it, Ethan!" Kari Otterson Allen added, "We’ll be cheering for my son, also Ethan, around miles 15 and 16. Added your Ethan to my tracker so we’ll watch and try to give him a shout-out when he runs by! We’ll even have ‘Go Ethan’ signs."
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