quote:<HR>Originally posted by JasonsDrivingForce:
Men?s finish at the Chicago marathon 07.<HR>

Great finishes, but boy, what a goat rodeo it was for the rest of us. I'm sure it's a great event, but this year I think they were overwhelmed by the size (45,000 for the first time) and the heat and humidity (88+ degrees and 70+% humidity, depending on where you measured). It was so packed at the start that we were already drenched before we even started. I saw water at every aid station, but Gatorade was hit-or-miss, and sometimes there were missing cups or overmatched volunteers trying to pour fluids as fast as runners arrived. It was an easy day to realize that the weather wasn't going to cooperate for a PR, so it was time to just jog along and see the sights and enjoy the experience and look forward to the finish. I was very surprised that my halfway split was only three minutes off my PR pace, but I knew the second half would be slower.

Just before the seventeen mile mark they started announcing that the race was being canceled because of the extreme heat (I didn't know at that point of the number of medical emergencies) and we should continue moving east rather than taking the next turn of the course. Going straight kept us on course back to the start/finish area at Grant Park where we would merge into the finish chutes. It was about a two-mile walk back, but our group had a shorter walk than others had from some of the other cutoff places. If I had been about fifteen minutes faster I might have been with one of the groups that got to run the whole way.

It was disappointing not to get to "finish". We heard about the course support through Little Italy, Chinatown and the Latin section, and I would have liked to experience it. But I think it really was the right decision to shut everything down. There wasn't much they could do about wild rumors going around about how many people were hospitalized or fatalities -- or that police would arrest you if you tried to continue running along the course.

Big kudos to the Chicago businesses, spectators and residents who went out on their own to improvise hoses, sprinklers and water stops on their own -- the situation would have been far, far worse without them. The crowds were great everywhere I ran, and I can see why this race normally gets such great press. The medals are very beautiful with embroidered ribbons, but the t-shirts are surprisingly plain. I would like to return and do the full course in better weather.

Brad

Isaiah 40:31 (now that would be a good 10k time...)

quote:<HR>Originally posted by JasonsDrivingForce:
When is your next marathon? Are you going to be at the Autism 5k this weekend? It is going to be a fast race. The conditions will be absolutely ideal. Upper 40?s no wind and sunny on a flat fast course! Great weekend for a PR!<HR>

Hey, Travis -- yep, I'll be there for the Autism 5k; I'm among the leaders of the Garner division of the Grand Prix! I'll probably work it into a longer jog, so I won't be shooting for a PR, but you're right that it should be a very fast course!

Should be a good month; you can run a local race just about every weekend. Sunday is the Walk for Hope (I'll be jogging), then next weekend is the NCRC's 10-miler, then there's another Grand Prix race or two before November kicks off with the new City of Oaks Marathon and HillFest, which should be the last marathon I'll be in this year. (Thought about going to Kiawah in December, but fortunately I have to be here for our church's Christmas musical.) Then for Christmas I'm getting new feet.

Brad

Isaiah 40:31

I saw the ATT ten miler Saturday when I was running up the trail. I wish I could have run it. My running has fallen off. I have a strain either in my aductor, inner thigh muscle, or a sciatic nerve problem. Either way, I have reduced my running. I raced the Pinehurst internation distance triathlon two weeks ago. I met my goal to break three hours. Running was my weak point due to my injury, but I felt I put everything I had into the race. I was sooo tired at the end.
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Bob

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Second Empire Grand Prix standings through four races have just been/are being posted (as of 9:30 am Sat.). I guess they're still posting the men's standings, but the women's list, the alphabetical list, and the age group lists all look to be updated.

Look for me at the finish-line food area. I'm volunteering for this (along with my son, who's earning some scouting community service hours), and that's where I've been told I'll be working. Look for the guy with glasses and a mustache bossing an early teen around.