Well, I just got back from Chicago myself. I've been humbled! I've run many a marathon but not like this one. I, along with everyone there, new it was going to be difficult. My plan was altered from trying to run a pr of sub 2:55 to just running a pace run for the first half then jog in with others. WRONG! I got to about mile 11 and was having difficulty getting air. As others may have said, I was totally soaked from head to toe in sweat and was starting to feel a cramp come on. I slowed to a jog (about 7:45 to 8:00 pace) and by mile 18 I was TOAST. I cramped every where...legs, arms, toes. All I could do was walk it off, start jogging again when the cramps subsided but was eventually reduced to a walk/shuffle for the last 6 miles just wanting to finish.
Now I know there will be some that will say that I didn't drink enough or take in the right amount of sodium....whatever. Well, I think you may be right! I thought I had but I guess to have fallen apart so badly, I must not have. My plan to run the first half at my pace was a bad one. I learned my lesson! But, I never ran a marathon under those conditions. I've run in hotter weather before but not at race pace for that far. It's hard to explain unless you were there but it was friggin the roughest race I've ever completed. I'm so sorry to hear that someone died and, as of this morning, 5 still in critical condition in hospitals.
By the way, the aid station were fine where I was but you could see that the volunteers were having difficulty keeping up. The crowds who come out though to cheer you on were INCREDIBLE! By far the best city marathon someone could run, but not this year.
