If you’ve been around here a while, you know I have a love/hate relationship with the Chicago Marathon. Well, I was holding a grudge after a miserable day in 2007. 2019 was a great day for running with an amazing crowd and so many friends supporting me (recap).
I got the bug and signed up for 2020 which was cancelled. I did a lot of running in the meantime and started a run streak. I kind of expected the major fall races to be cancelled, but I (more or less) started training for London or Chicago and New York.
My times when racing returned were slower than in 2019, but I worked on pace this summer. I had a great 20 miler with the CARA Ready to Run group and I set a realistic goal. As the race got closer, the forecast called for warm temps which are not my favorite. I didn’t freak out, I just dialed back my expectations a bit.
Pre-Race
We didn’t have guests this year and only a few out of town friends came in for the race. Stacy, Kelli and I went to the Rise and Run Book Launch Shakeout on Friday with Fleet Feet Chicago. Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky came to run with the group and to sign book plates. That was especially cool because Shalane is running all of the majors including Chicago and Boston – one day apart.
Saturday morning, I did the shakeout run with Arc’teryx Chicago’s Bucktown store on the 606. Stacy and Kelli joined again and we had a great group of friends from Chicago and Texas join us.
I waited for Jen to go to the Expo and we met Wendy (she wasn’t running but loves Expos!) We kept in good spirits despite an hour+ line to get our vaccine cards checked. The Expo itself was just OK. We got our numbers, grabbed some GU, took a few photos and left. We met up with Jen and her family and Amy for takeout for pre-race dinner.
I went home and got everything together for an early start.
Race Day
I decided to take the bus to the start. I left in plenty of time, but the bus never showed. I ran to the el (~1 mile from the bus stop) and waited with a lot of other runners. It was a bit stressful, but luckily the same thing happened to Susana and she got on my car! We got downtown later than we planned but accessing the race and using the bathroom was easier than we expected. We dropped of our gear and wished each other luck and headed to our respective corrals.
I was in Corral E (last corral in the first wave for the 7:30 start). The mood was good in the corral and everyone was friendly. I looked for some familiar faces, but wound up chatting with new people. It was cloudy and hinting at rain and the prevailing sentiment was that was a godsend. I bumped into Rachel just before the start and we hugged and wished each other luck.
My corral got released at 7:50 and it took me about a minute to cross. I smiled for at least the first 5K! I was so ecstatic to be racing again. The downtown crowd was even better than I remembered. It was so exhilarating to be running a Major marathon. I tried to soak it all in and to thank all of the volunteers who made it possible. My first mile was fast even though I didn’t weave or push too hard. I dialed it back and reminded myself of my race plan with the warm temps.
This year, I had friends cheering in the first 5K. I saw Liz, Jay and the kids at mile 2 and the Sapna at the 5K mark. I saw Brandy when I had my eyes peeled for the others. I settled into a pace and saw some friends from A Sweat Life (and Instagram) in the next few miles. I met a woman from Houston and told her about Lincoln Park as we ran up Stockton.
10K – 15K goes through my neighborhood and I had a ton of support. Stacy and Kelli were a few blocks south of my building. Many friends from my building came out to cheer and then Kat a few blocks up. I knew that Bianca would be at Mile 8. I saw Carla right after that. I tried to keep the pace in control and I got to Boystown.
As I got to Boystown, I was looking for Ami and saw my friend Elizabeth and her family, too. Stacy and Kelli joined the “Superfan” crew at Stella’s. Josh has a megaphone and there’s a fantastic video of him saying “when I say Erica, you say Agran, Erica. Agran. Erica. Agran.” To say I felt like a million bucks is an understatement! I was still grinning blocks later when Lori shouted my name.
Heading into Lincoln Park, I had my next groups to look out for. I saw the Martineaus and then another great group at Mary and Brandon’s place. Heather and Mary got fantastic videos. I watched them like 20 times! My friends are just the best.
Less than a mile later, my friends from A Sweat Life and Arc’teryx Chicago had a great cheer station. Nia got another amazing video. The cheers continued in the Fleet Feet water stop. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and support. A man running nearby said “WOW! These are really your people.” Yes, sir!
In all of my fan spotting, I was good about taking Gatorade and water at every stop. It was very humid. The skies were still overcast. Heading south, there was a pretty good headwind. It made it a bit tough – I was glad I wasn’t wearing a hat – but a bit cooler than the northbound section.
I made it to the half in 1:55.39 which was right on target for my 3:50 – 3:55 goal time. I did have a little energy dip as I headed to the half, but was buoyed by Maria, Ron and Ela. Maria jumped in to run with me. Initially, she planned about 3 miles.
We saw Debra from Janji around mile 14 and Sarah at a water station at mile 15. The sun came out for a bit and I was starting to feel the effects of the heat. Maria was wonderful and kept chatting to keep my spirits up. I felt a bit out of it. I took a quick bathroom stop just after mile 16 and a couple of salt tabs to try to get my electrolytes in balance.
Jen passed me around Mile 17 looking fantastic. My pace was slowing, so Maria kept running with me (bless her heart!) 18th Street in Pilsen was fantastic this year. The music and dancing kept everyone moving. There were huge groups out from 3run2 and other clubs that were a big help, too.
I crossed mile 20 in just over 3 hours, so I still had a chance to get my goal time. It was really warm and a lot of people were slowing down so I just tried to keep moving. As we entered Chinatown, I saw Amy, Jeff, Sienna and Eloise and Maria jumped out.
Just past 35K, Brian called out to me. He took an amazing photo. I thought I would look as awful as I felt but I was smiling all the same! As I tried to psyche myself up for the last 7K, Wendy surprised me and jumped in to run me to her house (mile 25). She had so much positive energy. Between that and the salt tabs and Gatorade kicking in, I started to revive.
Before I knew it, we were running north on Michigan Ave with the wind at our backs. Wendy kept my spirits high and then we saw Ryan and I knew I had only one more mile to go. I waved and thanked them, saw Amy, Jen and the girls again and headed toward the finish. The crowd was great urging us on. I saw Kelly O. manning the last water station and took in her great energy.
Angie caught me on video as I rounded the turn up Roosevelt. It didn’t seem as steep this year. I rounded the turn and “sprinted” in the last 300 meters. I cried as I ran the home stretch. The conditions were not ideal, but after the last 18 months of pandemic living, I was so grateful for this opportunity and a healthy body (and mind) that could persevere.
This was not my slowest Chicago. I was less than 10 minutes slower than 2019 when the conditions and my training were much better. I’m calling this a win. And hoping that I can best it in NYC in a few weeks. And if not, that’s OK, too.
Final time: 4:02.12 (9:14/mile) There were fewer runners than 2019, but my placement was much higher in my age group with a time that was 9 minutes slower. I think the conditions hit a lot of people really hard.
After the finish, I saw my friend Graig from NYC getting help from medical and made sure he was OK. Then I found Susanna and her friend Wesley who I’d seen a few times in the race. Finally, I found my friend David (who ran a PR and huge BQ!) and his friends.
Thank you to all of my friends out on the course and who ran with me for the last 18 months. The love and support before, after and during this race was beyond my wildest expectations. After the past 18 months, I needed this affirmation of health, love and community.
And if you’re still reading this… THANK YOU for all of the love and support.