The 2022 Chicago Marathon

I was more excited about this marathon than I have been for any other in a while.  I think because the stars seem to be aligned for a good race:  I lucked out and managed to get a hotel right near the start/finish, so no onerous trekking before and after the race.  The course was very flat and neatly divided into three manageable sections: north, west, and south.  And the weather was perfect!  In the final pre-race email from the Chicago Marathon they said, "According to the advance local weather forecast, the weather on race day is projected to be partly to mostly sunny, with low temperatures in the low-40s (degrees F) and high temperatures in the low-60s (degrees F).  Based on this forecast, the Event Alert Status level is Green, which suggests ideal conditions for marathon running."

And it was!

Course Map

I could see the finish area from my hotel room!

At the Expo

Anyone could write down a reason for running and add it to the wall.

View of the city

The Bean!

The Riverwalk

Pre-race gear shot

The Chicago Marathon is the second only to New York as the largest marathon in the US.  40,000 people participated, but it didn’t ever seem like that many.  Most of the course was on relatively narrow, tree-lined streets, so it didn’t even feel like a big city, let alone a big race.  The only way the Chicago Marathon felt big was the number of spectators--they lined every single step of the course, and they were loud!   There were lots of signs, some with the usual chestnuts:

·       “You’re running better than the government!”  (Alternate: “…the metro”)

·       Pain is temporary, pride is forever.

·       Worst parade ever!

·       Your feet hurt ‘cause you’re kicking butt!

·       On a scale of 1-10 you’re a 26.2!

But I saw a few creative signs that were new to me:

"I'll get you into Boston" (with a photo of Lori Loughlin)

·       “Due to inflation you’ll run 27 miles”

·       Several Wordle-themed signs eg “RACES, ROADS, WANTS, MEDAL”

·       A couple of Lord of the Rings-themed ones:  “Fly you fools!” and “A day may come when you cannot run, but it is not this day.”

Some of our NF Endurance Team!

In Chinatown

Photo by our NF Endurance Team leader, Lydia, who was waiting for us at mile 13!

Todd was able to follow me from afar on the Chicago Marathon app

He took several screen shots as I approached the finish line :)

I felt strong until the last few miles, but I finished with my best marathon time since 2017!  And I was 605th out of 1662 women in my age group :)

At the finish line a guy proposed to a girl right in front of me.  He had the ring with him and everything.  Apparently she said yes because they kissed afterwards.  (Risky!)

Nicholas Kristoff and family were there, too!

One more special treat this Chicago weekend—the day after the marathon I got to have breakfast with college friend, Lolan, and his family! So wonderful to reconnect with old friends.

With Lolan's nephew, Samuel

And with Lolan's mom!

I brought Samuel a Chicago Marathon shirt <3

Next: the Philadelphia Half in November! I'm giving myself a couple weeks break first, but I'm still motivated to keep running to #endNF <3 THANK YOU to all who have donated to our campaign so far this year!!

My Dumb Runner calendar has a perfect message for October

The medal rack Todd made for me several years ago.  It's getting pretty full.