Running for Ramon - Jessica Steinacker’s First Marathon Is Fueled by Love and Legacy

Shared by: Jessica Steinacker

In October 2025, Jessica Steinacker will lace up her running shoes and step up to the starting line of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Not just as a first-time marathoner, but as a granddaughter on a mission.

Jessica, a U.S. Navy veteran, has never run long distances before. Born in Miami, Florida, and now living in Michigan, she’s taking on the 26.2-mile challenge in honor of someone who meant the world to her; her grandfather, Ramon Cotayo.

“This is for him,” Jessica shares. “I’m running for my Abuelo. For his strength. For everything he gave us.” Ramon Cotayo was the heart of the Cotayo family. Born in Cuba, he ran a small business before making the courageous move to the United States with nothing more than the clothes on his back and a fierce determination to support his wife and children. He worked in construction and found joy in feeding the ones he loved, always cooking large meals, never knowing how to make “just enough.” His kitchen was full of flavor and family, and so was his life.

He was a proud father to four children Ramoncito, who heartbreakingly passed away at just two years old, his sons Carlos and Jorge (Jessica’s dad), and Elizabeth. But perhaps one of his proudest titles was “Abuelo,” and Jessica had the honor of being his very first grandchild.

“We used to talk every day,” Jessica recalls. “Then it became once a week… then once a month… and eventually, the conversations stopped altogether.” That slow silence is something many families affected by Alzheimer’s know all too well.

It was after a serious accident in 2016 that the family first noticed the changes. Ramon began forgetting little things such as where he left his keys and repeating stories. The Alzheimer’s diagnosis came soon after, followed by Parkinson’s in 2017. Life continued to shift dramatically in 2018 when Ramon went through a divorce, and the final blow came during the isolation of COVID-19. “We felt like we lost him then,” Jessica says. “The distance, the silence… it was heartbreaking.”

Ramon passed away in 2021. But his legacy, his laughter, his warmth, his fierce love for his family lives on. And this October, that legacy will carry Jessica through every mile of her first marathon.

She’s running for awareness. She’s running to raise funds. But most of all, she’s running to honor the man who helped shape her into the strong, determined woman she is today.

“This run is for all the families who’ve felt the pain of watching someone they love slowly fade,” Jessica says. “But it’s also a celebration of their lives, their joy, their spirit, and the memories that never leave us.”

As Jessica trains, mile by mile, she carries with her the love, strength, and resilience her grandfather showed every day. And when she crosses that finish line, it won’t just be a victory for her, it’ll be a victory for Ramon, and for every family impacted by Alzheimer’s and dementia.

You can support Jessica at: http://act.alz.org/goto/Jessica2025