Chicago Marathon - RunMarathon

My goal was to Boston qualify at 3:15:59 or below. I was hoping for cool conditions, but the gods were conspiring against me.. and 33,000 other runners, and delivered Chicago's warmest day in 6 weeks. Crystal clear skies, and 84 degrees. Far from optimal marathon running weather. Still, I was going to give it my best shot and hope that I could cool myself down along the way.

Miles 1-6 went very well. Felt great, and was holding back from going out too fast. Was on pace to hit 3:10 ish. Course was still shaded in a lot of spots, so if you could get out of the sun, it was manageable.

miles 6-14.. still on track, felt great, evaluated my pace and 'feel', about every few minutes or so. Still lots of shade to be found as this section of course winds through many sky scrapers. Predicted at this point was 3:12 or so.

miles 14-21.. huge shift in ambient temperature at this point. As we headed west out of downtown, shade became non existent, and the sun was relentless. This makes a hard effort, that much more difficult, and it was around this point that I made a critical mistake. I failed to account for lost electrolytes. Why? I have no idea. I do it in triathlon, I just didn't think about it for the marathon, and was absent even the slightest thought of it for this marathon. I still felt great in this section though, and my quest for a BQ race was still on.

miles 21-26.2.. the heat and sun by this point was the equivalent of running in a 30 mph headwind. Lots of effort to maintain the pace. I was ok with that though as I had been at this point quite a few other times. I knew I could gut it out.. until somewhere between mile 22 and 23. This is were my BQ attempt was derailed. My hamstrings, (both), cramped up on me. I was ok with it, and thought I could run through it, but every time I tried to push the pace after that, they both went into spasm. I ran through the spasms knowing that if I stopped, then there might be no re-starting. Problem was, it slowed me down, and by mile 24, again, I knew that a BQ was out of reach. I didn't quit, I just slowed down a bit..

finish.. 3:23:26. 7 minutes and 27 seconds too slow. I was disappointed, but was satisfied with my effort. I truly gave it my all, it's just that on this day, it wasn't good enough.

A few notes about the race:

1. 45,000 registered, 33,200 started, 31,401 finished. Of the finishers, I was 1527. That's top 5% of the field. I am very happy with that number.

2. There were casualties all over the course. I started near the front of the pack, and in the last 8 miles, there were countless people cramped up, or otherwise, just blown up.

3. The aid stations at this race were incredible. They were 1/10th of a mile long, or more, and seemed to go on forever. After last year, the race officials were totally prepared for the conditions this year.

Electrolytes.. stupid mistake. It cost me my BQ. The weather played a role, but I should have given myself a chance, and with no electrolytes, I really took my best option off the table. I never cramp.. but at this race I did. I hate gatorade, especially warm, so I tend to not drink it. I drank mostly water..

Pouted for 30 seconds, then saw the walking wounded all around me, and the elation of all the finishers. I suddenly remembered what it meant to just go the distance, and I got over myself. I stopped by the podiatry tent for some foot work as they were tore up.


Simple: Heat. Moreso, the sun. It was brutal.


The Chicago Marathon is world class. One of my favorites, and I will do it again. The city is alive with energy. Weather is always the x factor. I ran the race in 06, with a high of 45 degrees. Highly recommended for any runner who loves the Marathon experience.