Chicago Marathon 2008 (Read 771 times)

Ok... I looked for a thread on this and couldn't find it, so I apologize if this is redundant. Who is registering for this one? When does it close? I ran it last year and I'm sure you've heard about the horrid weather. I can't BELIEVE I'm actually considering running it again. but my sister lives there and overall I really liked the race. It's weird to mentally know that the weather was a fluke and that the race organizers felt they had no choice but to shut the marathon down; but still somehow "blame" them for what happened. I wonder if I need one more year to truly get over my experience last year or if I need to go back and truly experience this marathon the way that it was meant to be done. Thoughts? Anyone from last year who had a rough time doing it again this year?

Check out the user group -- Chicago Marathon -- to meet other RA folks who are running (or who have run) in Chicago. The group is understandably quiet at the moment, but it'll pick up as Fall approaches. As for your registration question, I can only suggest that you act somewhat quickly. Last year's race filled within three days after the Boston Marathon (i.e., mid-April). This year maybe isn't filling quite as fast, but its getting close. The current registration tally looks to be around 36,000 to 39,000 (counting registered runners and charity spots), and I've heard reports that its filling at a rate of around 3000 spots/week. In other words, it'll be at 45,000 awfully soon.

I registered 2 weeks ago. Did not run it last year. There is a new sponsor this year and I highly doubt last year's fiasco will be repeated. Lesson learned I am sure.

Actually, it's the same sponsor (technically). Bank of America just bought LaSalle Bank.

Duh. I bank at neither. My bad. In all honesty the sponsor is irrelevant. It's the race director that we should be scrutinizing, and I have a suspicion it's not the same person(s) as last year.

Carey Pinkowski is still the race director. Last year will not be repeated because there aren't many days that hot in Chicago in October.

From the reports I read he did everything he could reasonablely be expected to do. No one can control the weather and having a day that hot in Chicago in October is very very unlikely. Although it was an unpopular decision shutting down the course was the best thing to do, the medical staff was being overwhelmed and the people left running were in serious danger. The fact that the race director had a contengency plan for the heat (shutting down the course) shows that he had given some thought to a worst case scenario and what would have to be done.

I'm more referring to the fact that there was no water or gatorade at scheduled water stops on the race from miles 1.5 to 6.x But this argument is old and rehashing it isn't going to help anyone who wants to run Chicago 2008.

I've already signed up. I think it was bad luck / fluke last year. It is unlikely that the weather is that hot two years in a row. And more unlikely that the race organizers didn't learn from last year's events. 2008 is probably a good year to run Chicago. (Unless it snows 3 feet and all of the water bottles freeze.)

That last sentence is the key for many...Chicago is one of the best places for a PR. I have run it once before, and am signed up for this year's race. Chicago is a big city, so it is going to have its' logistical issues...but the logistics of a race like this in a city this large (loop course, start/finish downtown next to many hotels, etc.) are much better than some other larger marathons, such as NYC.