Chicago Marathon

1

logistical issues (Read 108 times)


Maniac

    Well, the taper has started, so I guess it's time to start obsessing over things like weather, logistics, etc.

     

    Sooooo....my buddies and I will be staying at the Seneca Hotel (near the Hancock Tower).  My initial plan is to take the El down to the Grant Park area....Any advice about which stop to get off at?   How early should we get there?

     

    I'm really excited about the race....even though my training has been kinda rough this summer.  The plan is just to run this one for "fun".

     

    Any advice is appreciated.

    Marathon Maniac #6740

     

    Goals for 2015:

     

    Run 3 marathons (modified:  Run 2 marathons--Lost Dutchman 02/2015 and Whiskey Row 05/2015)

    Run a 50-miler (Ran a 53.8 mile race 11/14/2015)

    Run 1,500 miles (uhhh...how about 1,400?)

     

    Stay healthy

      To be honest, I wouldn't take the El if I was staying that close to the start/finish area.  From the Hancock Building, its only about a mile to Grant Park.  Even adding a bit more distance to get to the corrals and gear check, you're still only talking about a 30 minute walk at most. Think of it as a low-key warm-up for the race itself. 

       

      While the El might save you some time under ideal circumstances, there are some potential pitfalls:

       

      • you might wait 10-15 minutes between trains -- any theoretical time savings could easily disappear
      • the El could be packed with people by the time it gets the stop near the Hancock -- you might not get on, especially if you have a group

      If walking doesn't appeal, then I'd suggest either a cab (it'd be about a $5 fare, tops) or the CTA bus (several routes run on Michigan Ave.).

       

      Another suggestion is to call your hotel and see if they offer any van service.

       

      If you are deadset on riding the El, then the stop you want depends on your corral.  If you're in one of the seeded corrals (A-D) you probably want to get off at Jackson since that'll put you closer to the front of the start area.  If you are in the Open corral, stay on until Harrison, which is much closer to the gear check and entrance for the Open corral.

       

      Hope this is helpful.

      How To Run a Marathon: Step 1 - start running. There is no Step 2.


      Maniac

        Very helpful Berner....That's exactly what I was looking for.

         

        We're in the Open Corral.  There is a bus stop very near our hotel, so we were thinking of just taking a bus (#151 from what I can tell from the CTA website) down to the start.

         

        We're a little worried about walking around, since we're going to be on our feet quite a bit that day anyway.

         

        Thanks again!!

        Marathon Maniac #6740

         

        Goals for 2015:

         

        Run 3 marathons (modified:  Run 2 marathons--Lost Dutchman 02/2015 and Whiskey Row 05/2015)

        Run a 50-miler (Ran a 53.8 mile race 11/14/2015)

        Run 1,500 miles (uhhh...how about 1,400?)

         

        Stay healthy

          Happy to offer some advice.

           

          The #151 will definitely work.  Just leave early enough and have a back-up plan in case the bus gets delayed or is crowded.  (Frankly, if you see a taxi while waiting for the bus (and if your group can fit in a taxi) I'd grab it -- it'll cost you about the same as aggregate bus fare and will be faster.)

           

          I generally like to get to the start area at least 45 minutes early, and closer to an hour before race time if I can manage it.  Although the start area is very well managed, it is crowded and there are bottle-necks.  (It takes longer to get into the seeded corrals, so at least you won't have to worry about that.)  Unless you're trying to run sub-3:00 from the Open corral, you don't need to worry about getting into the corral super-early early to be at the front.

           

          Remember that the corrals close 10 minutes before the race.  This is strictly enforced for the seeded corrals; not so much for the Open corral.

           

          Basically you could think about it like this:

           

          +10 minutes for corral closing

          +10 minutes if you're using gear check

          +15 minutes for each time you plan to use the porta-let before the race

          +15 minutes cushion for crowds/bottlenecks

           

          That'll give you a rough but conservative estimate of how many minutes before the gun to be in Grant Park.  Other people may cut it closer, but I like to be in place and not worrying about being late.

          How To Run a Marathon: Step 1 - start running. There is no Step 2.