Run the Magnificent Mile, and 25.2 more
Each year, the Chicago Marathon attracts more than 45,000 runners
In most marathons, finishing in 3:05 (for men) won’t get you anywhere near the podium, but it should land you somewhere in the top 100-ish. At last year’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, for instance, it would have been good enough for 128th place. Not in Chicago. I ran a three-and-change in October and finished well back of almost 1,200 runners, including a guy dressed as a barefoot Goliath, wearing only a tiny pair of shorts on the 2 C day. He came through in the mid-2:30s, apparently. You know you’re in a strong field when you’re pushing the three-hour mark and still getting clobbered by the eccentrics.
Every race promises to be f lat, fast and fun. Chicago actually delivers. Its motto is “Chicago Strives” and indeed it does – strives to be Swiss or Singaporean. Everything is meticulously controlled, from the multiple checkpoints and tight security around the starting corrals (proof of past times needing to be faxed in months in advance) to the carpeting covering the bridges to the highly organized finishing area. Even the porta-potties are free of lineups. With 45,000 participants all running the same course – there’s no half-marathon or 10k here – race organizers have clearly committed to pulling off one very big thing, right. And the model works. Last year’s race sold out in six days, three weeks quicker than in 2011.
The course is built for speed. It’s not only f lat, it’s frequently sheltered, and even when you’re not surrounded by buildings, bridges or tunnels, you’re nestled in crowds, both on the course and along the sidewalks. Some 1.7 million spectators lined the
streets, a crowd rivalled only by the New York Marathon, and certainly much more than Washington D.C.’s Marine Corps Marathon or the L .A. Marathon.
I was almost always in a tight pack, great for pacing and saving energy, though less than ideal for enjoying the route. Admittedly, I wasn’t there to sightsee. If you are, the race serves up the city’s most storied landmarks, starting with the sublime “Silver Bean” and Frank Gehry’s stainless steel pavilion in Millennium Park. The course then heads towards the Pradas and Guccis of Michigan Avenue’s “Magnificent Mile,” before zig-zagging north, south, east and west, through 27 neighbourhoods, and past more architectural marvels. Mile 23 isn’t an ideal point to savour any scenery, but here you’ll be heading towards the reason for much of the city’s design glory, the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Architecture theory aside, by t his point i n the race your thoughts may tend towards more pressing matters, like, “Where’s the damn finish line?” Fortunately, it ’s a st raight line due north, with the spectators building with each block . Last year, it was a bundled-up crowd. In t he beginning of October, weather continues to be the big variable in Chicago, as it increasingly seems to be with so many marathons. In recent years, this race has been both broiled to the point of cancellation, mid-run, and deep-freezed as it was last year. What
You know you’re in a strong field when you’re pushing the three-hour mark and still getting clobbered by the eccentrics.
it isn’t traditionally is windy, despite t he cit y’s nickname, which refers to Chicago’s early politicos, not the breezes off of Lake Michigan.
There aren’t any records kept on the number of people who record personal bests here. Six of the seven seasoned runners I came with all ran PBs. That may be a testament to the speed of the pack, the pitch of the course or the near-perfect planning of the organizers – or all of the above. What it says for certain is that this is a race worth running.