Joan Benoit Samuelson ’79, 1984 Olympic gold medalist and two-time Boston Marathon winner, is headed for the Windy City for the 34th Annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Joanie won’t be lacing up for the 26.2-mile-run; instead she’s being tapped for commentary during NBC’s coverage of Sunday’s race.

Closer to campus, actor and native Mainer Patrick Dempsey, whose character Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd occasionally wears a Bowdoin hat and T-shirt, is hosting this weekend’s Dempsey Challenge, an annual run/walk and cycling fundraiser in Lewiston/Auburn benefitting The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing at Central Maine Medical Center.