I loved reading Nils report on the wonderful Chicago marathon but was also keen to share my own experience so I hope you can all cope with more Chicago love.
I applied for Chicago on a high after Berlin last year. Berlin was a tricky run for me (very hot) but I loved the atmosphere of another marathon major and was keen for more. I had a knee injury earlier this year and had 10 weeks or so without running. I was able to
start running again at the beginning of July so I had a quick buildup of weekly mileage – while trying to be sensible – and then marathon training began in earnest. Training went well, my knee behaved and I managed to avoid having to do a 22 mile run straight after work on a Friday around the dockyard loop, which had happened last year and was a miserable experience!
Paul (my husband) was coming with me to Chicago and we planned our visit to include travel (Vancouver and Banff), work (Paul), sightseeing and generally having a lovely time for me. I was also very lucky to have our good friends Patsy and Dave with us for the marathon weekend. As soon as I had my marathon place, they announced they were coming to support me before heading off to holiday and visit family in Illinois. Paul and I flew out on Thursday via Toronto hoping to have a couple of days to adjust to the time difference. Friday was a visit to the Expo, sightseeing and far more walking than intended! We spent a wonderful evening at a concert by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. We were renting an Airbnb with our friends in the Logan Square area of Chicago, just 15 mins on the Blue Line to downtown Chicago. Logan Square was lovely – lots of restaurants, quirky coffee shops, leafy streets and classic Greystone houses with many imaginative/crazy Halloween displays.
After a hot Berlin experience, I had been checking the weather obsessively in the weeks leading up to marathon day. Chicago was going to be hot too with predicted temperatures of 24/25 degrees. There was a yellow alert meaning less than ideal conditions for marathon
running. Into the suitcase went hat, sunglasses and suncream.
Marathon morning dawned bright and very early for me – I was awake at 3am. Breakfast at 5am and then off to the Blue Line train. Here the marathon experience well and truly started as the train was packed with excited marathon runners, all chatting, sharing experiences and taking selfies. At each subsequent stop we managed to squeeze even more runners in and every time a non-runner got off they would
wish us all good luck.
Security and bag drop were quick and easy. The toilet queue was of course a longer experience but I got chatting to a runner from London (worried about the heat) and a group from Chicago who had run the marathon a few times and told us all about the route. The Star-Spangled Banner heralded the start of the wheelchair race and the professional men and women’s start at 7:30am. Arriving an hour and a half before you start always sounds plenty of time but it goes very quickly and I needed a warmup jog to get to my start corral in time.
I was in corral F with a start time of 8am. I chatted to a lady from Birmingham who was worried about the heat and jet lag. We had very similar marathon times and I saw her a few times during the run and again at the finish where we congratulated one another, having
both enjoyed our runs.
Waiting to start, looking up at the stunning Chicago skyline in the early morning light, was a wonderful moment and I had to pinch myself that I was really there and about to do this.
I started at 8:04 and was able to start running and settle into a rhythm very quickly. I had some idea of a time goal but I mainly wanted to enjoy it all, absorb the surroundings, crowds and atmosphere and not need an ambulance! I had watched a couple of youtube videos
taking you through the route so I knew something about the 29 vibrant neighourhoods we were going to run through and was looking forward to experiencing the different cultures of Lincoln Park, Little Italy, Pilsen, Greek Town, China Town etc before heading back to the
South loop and Grant Park.
The support was immense and noisy for all 26.2 miles. I loved the famous underground party in the tunnel very early on in the race. This dark stretch is transformed by a live DJ, loud music, lights and smoke machines plus an energetic crowd of supporters. I know I really feed off the crowd support so I chose to run at the side of the road right next to the spectators and I spent a large part of the race high fiving, pressing power buttons and reading and laughing at all the signs and banners. I have an old CH vest with my name ironed on specifically for these occasions, so everyone was shouting my name which I also enjoy, and the early miles ticked by without me really noticing. I was also so lucky to know Paul, Patsy and Dave were out on the route. I saw them at miles 14 and 17, missed Paul at 19 and then saw them for a much-needed boost at around 23 miles.
The early start meant the temperature was ok for the first couple of hours plus the skyscrapers of downtown Chicago provided shade. I had suddenly felt very tired from about mile 8 last year in Berlin so I was very pleased to be running along happily feeling bouncy and strong for a large part of this one. However, by 11am it was definitely hot and the route was much more exposed. My last few miles were much harder work. I was feeling sick – normal for me at this stage of a marathon. I think it is the gels, which despite experimenting with different brands, I just don’t cope well with. Or maybe it is my body telling me it’s had enough of this nonsense! I certainly wasn’t tempted by the very frequent offers of pickles from the crowd – the Chicago equivalent of a jelly baby I think! I did have to grind it out for those last few miles but with the happy knowledge that I had run well for most of the marathon and had a good cushion of time to get comfortably under the 4 hours which I was hoping for.
The final stretch is amazing as you approach the downtown skyline and the crowd and noise swells. There is a steep, short incline at mile 26 known as Mount Roosevelt by runners. I remembered the girls in the toilet queue telling us that after the climb the finish is imminent, and indeed it was. A sharp right turn, then a left and you cross the finish line on Columbus Drive inside Grant Park, again cheered on by huge
crowds. It was easy to pick up bags and meet family and friends and lovely to catch up with Nils at the end.
The Chicago marathon was an amazing experience. I think running a marathon gives you a very special connection with a place and what a privilege to be one of the 55 thousand runners who took over this magnificent city for the weekend.