Chicago Marathon: Five Things To Know
By John Dodge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- On Sunday, about 90,000 feet will begin a 26.2 mile journey though the streets of Chicago.
Here are five things to know about the Bank Of America Chicago Marathon.
1) The fastest runners will finish the race in just over two hours. To put that in perspective, hop on the treadmill at the local gym. Set the speed to 12.5 miles per hour. Imagine running at that pace for two hours. That's what it takes to win this race. Alternatively, set the treadmill at 6.2 miles per hour and imagine running twice that fast for two hours.
2) The race starts (7:30 a.m.) and ends in Grant Park. It extends north to Addison Avenue (7.5 mile mark), as far west as Damen (15 miles) and south to 35th Street (23.5 miles) before turning back toward downtown. Click here to view the course map.
3) The first Chicago marathon, then called the Mayor Daley Marathon, was held on Sept. 25, 1977: Dan Cloeter, (2:17:52) was the men's winner and Dorothy Doolittle (2:50:47) was the women's winner. A total of 4,200 runners turned out for the race and 2,128 finished.
4) Based on last year's results, Cloeter's time would put him in 23rd place. Doolittle would have finished in 39th place among women (401st overall).
5) The event became a world-class competition in the 1980s. Britian's Steve Jones set a world record in 1984, finishing in 2:08:05.
For more information, click on the Chicago Marathon website.