Beautiful Horizons: Running Helps DuPage County Man Stay Sober

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Last February, Downers Grove native Jonny Moore checked himself into a rehab facility in California to get sober from alcohol. Though he was enchanted by the Pacific's crashing waves, Moore was unable to leave the rehab facility. Instead, he set up a treadmill on the balcony of his room and began walking, gazing out at the horizon as it met the ocean, with no exact destination in mind.

Fast-forward to March 2025 and Moore is preparing to run the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. It'll be his 13th race since he took the first step to get sober, a path that changed the course of his life.

“I was sick and tired of living a subpar life," Moore told Patch. "Waking up hung over and waking up feeling like total garbage. I wanted to make a change."

What started as daily walks on the treadmill became daily runs. As soon as Moore returned to his current home in Lombard, he bought a treadmill and continued his practice of running daily. He bought a TV, set it up in front of the treadmill and watched YouTube videos of the ocean to keep himself motivated.

When the weather broke, Moore started to venture outside. At first, he jogged a block. Then, he jogged a mile. He told Patch he kept jogging further and further, admiring his natural surroundings as he did so.

"I regained a whole new sense of wonder," Moore said.

Then, he got fitted for custom running shoes and started to participate in 5K races all over the U.S. His first race was a 5K at the Morton Arboretum last May.

“It was really pretty running through the woods," he said.

Soon, Moore's girlfriend of two-and-a-half years, Erica Mikottis, got into the act. The couple bought a second treadmill, and they jogged side by side.

"She's been very supportive the whole time," Moore told Patch.

Last June was the first time Moore celebrated his birthday as a sober person, relishing each moment of dinner with Mikottis and his parents.

“It was great just being able to appreciate the dinner," he said. "That was a really big milestone in my life right there."

The very next day, instead of waking up with a hangover like he would have in the past, Moore ran his first 10K race.

He admits that it was "really hard" to get to that point, but told Patch running "really cleared my mind, and it kept me on track and helped me focus on something positive.”

On Valentine's Day 2025, Moore achieved one year of sobriety. To celebrate this milestone, he wanted to travel back to California, a trip he had dreamed of as a reward to himself for staying sober. Moore and Mikottis flew out to Los Angeles, where he ran a half-marathon on the beach.

When he reached the finish line, Moore was welcomed by Mikottis, holding a sign congratulating him on his sober anniversary.

The upcoming Shamrock Shuffle marks another milestone for Moore, one that puts his past in stark relief. He told Patch St. Patrick's Day used to be a trigger for him because it often involved a lot of drinking.

Now, he's looking forward to "doing something really healthy and hard on the same day I would really do something completely different.”

And he won't be doing it alone. Mikottis, who has been training with Moore, will be running right there with him.

Moore said it will be the first Shamrock Shuffle for both of them, and the longest race Mikottis has yet to run.

After the Shamrock Shuffle, Moore wants to bring to life another dream: that of starting a fitness program for other people in recovery.

He told Patch that after quitting his job in bartending, he enrolled in a personal trainer program at College of DuPage. He's set to take the test to complete his certification in about a week.

For other people who are struggling with substance use disorder, Moore says it's important not to "beat yourself up."

He said, "Don’t give up and really focus on why you want to make the change."

Just as Moore looked ahead to that horizon across the ocean when his sobriety journey began. A distant finish line he's grateful to keep reaching, one step at a time.