Small races have their charm, but big city marathons are just amazing. There is glitz, glam, huge crowds, lot of supporters and entertainment along the way. They feel more like an event than the race, and the slow ones like me do not face empty finish line, or not-so-enthusiastic viewers.
I loved the thought of running in Chicago some day as it was one of the biggest in world, and also I never visited the city. So finally this year I put my name for the lottery, and some time in April I got in. Lots of planning followed, as I had 3 marathons lined up for this fall. Just before I take a long break from long distance running.
We planned a week long trip so we could go for both sight seeing and marathon. Chicago is a beautiful city and we got lucky too - the weather was just perfect throughout the week, sunny with almost no winds. That's rarity in Chicago in fall. We saw all tourist places - Riverwalk,.Hancock tower, the bean, Navy pier, millennium park, Shedd aquarium, adler planetarium and more. Chicago as a city is more beautiful, more accessible and more walkable than New York.
Marathon was our Day 4 plan, and after 3 days of roaming around Chicago, I was not looking to improve on my times. Target was just to finish, just like in all other races this year. I started early morning, caught 'L' train from 18th station towards downtown. The 18th station is beautifully decorated with murals by artists living in Pilsen area. The crowd/ runner management was pretty well, and i reached my corral without much difficulty.
Corral was filling up fast as more runners joined in. Around 8 am our corral started for the start line, and it did not take much time. Just after 8:15 I started my first Chicago marathon. (Look at the video for my shaky start)
For first 4 miles we saw the historic Chicago theatre, pounded downtown blocks and crossed chicago river 3 times. The pounding on metal (even with some cover) feels very different from pounding on tar. We crossed the Lincoln park zoo in mile 5, and the greens inspired many runners to leave their mark. The route was not so interesting for next few miles as we headed towards lake view area. The supporters were still there, and bands were placed in almost every mile, so there was no dearth of entertainment though.
My wife was waiting for me at the intersection of Hubbard and Wells, just before mile 12 sign. We decided our meeting points based on metro connectivity. Here i gave her my jacket and charge less phone and got small handy camera from her, and continued towards half mark marathon mark.
Between water stations, supporters, bands and runners the route was really fun even after half mark. Many races go reach their low at this point, but not Chicago. As we reach the Pilsen area, I could feel loud party atmosphere from far. People were dressed up as characters and music was everywhere. Here i met my wife again, exchanged cameras, and went ahead.
Around mile 21 we reached Chinatown and that was another must see exhibition. I actually stopped for some time to see the dragon dance. Miles were going by quick and by the time we took turn on Michigan Av, we were again in the downtown area. After mile 25 sign, Chicago put different signs in Blue color which shows -1 mile to go, 800 mts to go, 400 mts to go. I met with my lovely wife, who was riding the CTA like a pro to reach all stations, at 800 mts mark again.
I knew I am almost done, and then i saw the finish line. made this video in my slurred, tired voice.
I was done with my very first Chicago marathon. Slow 5:46, but amazing fun. I loved this marathon. Everything about Chicago and the marathon was just fantastic. The after party in the millennium park was good too. My wife and I basked in lovely sun for a long time, before heading towards metro station for journey back to the hotel.
I loved the thought of running in Chicago some day as it was one of the biggest in world, and also I never visited the city. So finally this year I put my name for the lottery, and some time in April I got in. Lots of planning followed, as I had 3 marathons lined up for this fall. Just before I take a long break from long distance running.
We planned a week long trip so we could go for both sight seeing and marathon. Chicago is a beautiful city and we got lucky too - the weather was just perfect throughout the week, sunny with almost no winds. That's rarity in Chicago in fall. We saw all tourist places - Riverwalk,.Hancock tower, the bean, Navy pier, millennium park, Shedd aquarium, adler planetarium and more. Chicago as a city is more beautiful, more accessible and more walkable than New York.
Corral was filling up fast as more runners joined in. Around 8 am our corral started for the start line, and it did not take much time. Just after 8:15 I started my first Chicago marathon. (Look at the video for my shaky start)
For first 4 miles we saw the historic Chicago theatre, pounded downtown blocks and crossed chicago river 3 times. The pounding on metal (even with some cover) feels very different from pounding on tar. We crossed the Lincoln park zoo in mile 5, and the greens inspired many runners to leave their mark. The route was not so interesting for next few miles as we headed towards lake view area. The supporters were still there, and bands were placed in almost every mile, so there was no dearth of entertainment though.
My wife was waiting for me at the intersection of Hubbard and Wells, just before mile 12 sign. We decided our meeting points based on metro connectivity. Here i gave her my jacket and charge less phone and got small handy camera from her, and continued towards half mark marathon mark.
Between water stations, supporters, bands and runners the route was really fun even after half mark. Many races go reach their low at this point, but not Chicago. As we reach the Pilsen area, I could feel loud party atmosphere from far. People were dressed up as characters and music was everywhere. Here i met my wife again, exchanged cameras, and went ahead.
Around mile 21 we reached Chinatown and that was another must see exhibition. I actually stopped for some time to see the dragon dance. Miles were going by quick and by the time we took turn on Michigan Av, we were again in the downtown area. After mile 25 sign, Chicago put different signs in Blue color which shows -1 mile to go, 800 mts to go, 400 mts to go. I met with my lovely wife, who was riding the CTA like a pro to reach all stations, at 800 mts mark again.
I knew I am almost done, and then i saw the finish line. made this video in my slurred, tired voice.
I was done with my very first Chicago marathon. Slow 5:46, but amazing fun. I loved this marathon. Everything about Chicago and the marathon was just fantastic. The after party in the millennium park was good too. My wife and I basked in lovely sun for a long time, before heading towards metro station for journey back to the hotel.
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| Crossing the finish line (MarathonFoto) |
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