Chicago Marathon returns in full force with 40,000 runners, 1 million onlookers cheering
CHICAGO (CBS) -- By the numbers, the Chicago Marathon was back in full force Sunday: 26.2 miles, more than 40,000 runners, and nearly a million people there to cheer them on.
CBS 2's Shardaa Gray caught up with runners along the route.
Some were very much excited, and others were exhausted. People from all over the globe came to Chicago to participate in the Bank of America Marathon.
More than 40 thousand runners from 100 countries competed for 26.2 miles Sunday morning. Some came to beat a record. One of those was Danny Bisschop, who traveled all the way from the Netherlands to run.
"I had a realistic goal of 3 hours 30 mins, but in the end of the time it was 3 hours and 23 minutes. So, great," said Bisschop.
Mariel Gonzalez flew from Mexico to run in the race.
"Since I was little, my friends ran this marathon a lot. They used to bring me and my brother here as cheerleaders. They inspired me to come. I've always wanted to run the city and this is my second time here," Gonzalez said.
While many wore typical workout gear, Tim Carey ran in a suit.
"I decided to suit up to raise money for the National Domestic Violence hotline," Carey said.
He created a GoFundMe page for a friend who ran in the marathon 10 years ago but died months later due to domestic violence.
"My friend gave me the gift of running," he said. "She told me when she ran by in 2012, that you run next year. I had no intention of doing that. Then when she passed, I figured I had to honor her memory."
Runners had a scenic view as they went through 29 neighborhoods from Pilsen to Chinatown.
Supporters spread out all throughout the town.
Last year the marathon was scaled down because of the pandemic, but this year it's back in full force.
Out of the 40,000 runners, 12,000 ran for charity. Last year they generated $21 million for local, regional and global charities.