In May 2022, Annalyn moved to Vancouver, Washington, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. I guess she likes rain.
On 4/7/22, Lynn and Jamie ran their 35,000th mile together since they started on 7/11/91.
On 1/28/22, Jamie's consecutive days running streak reached 30 years without missing a day.
On 1/24/22, Jamie ran his 50,000th mile since his OCD running streak began in 1/29/92.
On 1/14/22, Jamie's brother, Mike (Dude), passed away from complications from Covid.
On 7/4/21, Lynn and Jamie completed their 300th race together since they started on 7/21/91.
On 4/27/21, Lynn and Jamie ran their 20,000th mile with the racing chair custom-made and donated to them in 2008 by A Step Ahead Prosthetics and Orthotics of Hicksville, NY.
In 2020, Jamie started hiring himself out as a private driver, doing mostly rides to the Chicago airports and occasionally downtown.
On 8/4/19, we welcomed our second Labrador Retriever, a 7-week-old Chocolate Lab we named Nell.
On 7/20/19, Lynn and Jamie renewed their vows to each other in a small gathering of family and friends at the Ministry Center of The Firehouse Chapel.
In 2019, Annalyn earned her Associates degree in Culinary Arts (Baking and Pastry) from Joliet Junior College.
On 2/24/18, Jamie, after 37 years working for Uncle Sam, worked his last day at the Post Office.
On 10/13/17, Jamie's Mom, Marilyn Sinclair, passed away from complications during open-heart surgery.
On 9/5/17, Jamie started a second job driving for Lyft. He later added Uber, UberEats and DoorDash. He loves to drive.
On 2/16/17, Jamie had an episode of Atrial Fibrillation during a 5-mile run with Lynn (he didn't know what it was at the time). The following day, after he was diagnosed, he was admitted to Christ Hospital where he kept his running streak alive by running around in his hospital room (when no one was looking) until his running app measured one mile.
On 7/11/16 Lynn and Jamie ran their 25,000th mile together on the 25th Anniversary of their first run together.
On 7/31/15, Annalyn completed her 7th year of running every day for at least a mile.
On 5/18/15, Lynn and Jamie celebrated 30 years since they met at a party in Midlothian that neither one was planning on going to.
On 4/30/14, Annalyn set a new PR for a mile. 6:54.
On 5/5/13, Annalyn ran her first 1/2 Marathon, 13.1 miles. Lynn and Jamie paced her the whole way and she finished in 2:11:58. She was 2nd in the 10-14 Age Group and beat nearly half the field!
On 2/15/13, we took Annalyn to her first ever Blackhawks game. She has become quite the crazy Hawks fan. They won.
On 10/21/12, Annalyn ran her PR for a 5K race, 23:46 at the Pant For The Pantry 5K in New Lenox.
On 10/1/12, Annalyn's Grissom Middle School Girls Cross-Country team won their conference championship by ONE point.
On 9/25/11, Lynn, Jamie and Annalyn were featured on "World's Greatest Heroes" on Nippon TV in Japan.
On 6/26/11, Annalyn, in a declaration of her faith in God and love of Christ, was baptized at the Eagle Rock Church Baptism.
On 6/10 & 11/11, Lynn, Jamie and Annalyn competed in and completed the Ragnar Madison, WI to Chicago Relay. 197.3 miles in all.
On 3/27/11, Annalyn took her First Communion at the end of the first service at Eagle Rock. She accepted the Lord into her heart a few weeks earlier.
On 12/22/10, Jamie ran his 2,000th mile for 2010. Never done that many in one year before (or since). He ended up with a total of 2053 for the year.
On 9/27/10, Annalyn completed her 1st season of cross-country at Grissom Middle School, finishing her last meet in her best time of the year, 17:09. The Grissom girls team WON the Conference Championship.
On 12/14/08, "Marathon Love," the documentary about Lynn, Jamie and Annalyn, aired for the first time on the Discovery Health Channel.
On 5/4/08, Annalyn completed her first 5K race in a time of 33:45. She finished 3rd in the 14 and under age group and won a medal.
On 4/21/08, Lynn and Jamie completed their first Boston Marathon (their 4th overall) in a time of 3:25:46 and were filmed for their upcoming documentary.
On 2/12/08, Lynn and Jamie received their racing wheelchair, custom-made by A Step Ahead Prosthetics and Orthotics of Hicksville, NY.
On 11/3/07, Lynn and Jamie were honored as Heroes of Running by Runner's World Magazine at an awards banquet in New York City. Annalyn gave their introduction.
On 10/29/05, we added a new member to our family. She was a 9-week-old Labrador Retriever. We named her Lulu.
On 10/15/05, Lynn and Jamie (along with Jamie's brother, Jason) were Race Directors for the Katrina Relief 5K in Tinley Park, IL. The Lord put it on their hearts to do something to help the victims of that horrible storm. The local community and businesses came together and in just 6 weeks from the first idea to race day, we raised $5,000 for the Red Cross.
On 1/4/2002, Lynn and Jamie were each honored to carry the Olympic Torch as it came through Chicago on its way to Salt Lake City for that year's Winter Olympics.
On 5/1/00, the Parks Family was featured on a segment of "Miracle Babies." It told the story of Lynn's complicated pregnancy and the birth of Annalyn.
On 8/23/99, our "Miracle Baby," Annalyn Marie Parks was born.
On 10/3/97, Lynn and Jamie appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show. The theme was "World's Greatest Love Stories,"
On 8/8/97, Lynn and Jamie were featured in a segment of a CBS show called "Ordinary, Extraordinary."
On 5/20/97, Lynn threw out the first pitch at a White Sox game. Jamie caught it. A knee-high strike.
On 7/21/91, Lynn and Jamie ran their first race together with Jamie using Lynn in her wheelchair. It was the Heart & Sole 10K in Olympia Fields, IL.
On 7/11/91, inspired by Dick and Rick Hoyt, Lynn and Jamie ran together for the first time with Jamie pushing Lynn in her wheelchair. It was around the bike path at Yankee Woods in Oak Forest, IL. It was not fun.
On 5/9/87, Lynn was nearly killed in a car accident. She suffered a traumatic brain injury, along with many broken bones and internal injuries.
On 5/18/85, Lynn and Jamie met at a party neither was planning on attending. And the rest is history.
On 9/29/62, Lynn Michele McGovern was born in St. Louis, MO.
On 12/12/61, James Edward Parks was born in Joliet, IL.