From Michael Ho…
I was successful in getting a ballot place for the 2020 Chicago Marathon, which I’d deferred due to the pandemic, work and family commitments. This was the last year that it could be deferred to thus there was no real excuse but to do it, finally. Running was easier and perhaps more enjoyable then, the last one to two years have been a bit more challenging with niggling injuries and preparation for this race wasn’t ideal, with food poisoning during the summer holidays followed by what must’ve been viral bronchitis on the week of the Great North Run. So, with all the excuses out of the way, this is my account of the 45th edition of this Abbott World Marathon Major event.
This was my first marathon out of the UK, and it was really a great experience. Travelling out on a flight in which the majority of the passengers were runners was new to me. The gear collection the day before was an interesting experience as public transport was not very reliable due to the road closures for the 5k road race which the organisers put on near Grant Park, where the Chicago Marathon start/finish area will be the next day. Once at the expo centre everything was very well organised and seeing some new gear and merchandise on display was nice.
It was an early start on race day. The hotel was about 1.5 miles from Grant Park and with the GPS limitations due to the buildings in Chicago, I somehow managed to walk into a restricted area. Fortunately for me there was an official event photographer who ended up there and the police directed us and some other runners who followed to the start area. The race start was scheduled for 7:30am and we were advised to arrive at 5:30am, security checks and bag drop were all very efficient and drinks were provided for runners. It was nice to see the sunrise whilst waiting for the start and after getting into our start corrals, there was a short 15-20 mins of wait before we set off the start line. We could see Kelvin Kiptum going strong with his pacers on the big screen and hopes were high that he’d do something special that day.
The race atmosphere was amazing throughout the whole route, with a diversity of culture and nationalities. As I finished the second mile, my legs started to feel a bit heavy and I was slightly breathless…. I guess that bit of shortness of breath I felt on my shake out run the day before wasn’t just nerves or jet lag…..I tried to run at a more conservative pace throughout as there was still 24.2 miles to go, but with all the runners around me and the super charged crowd, it was easy to get excited. I tried as much as possible to stay as close to the blue line as possible to avoid running much more than the marathon distance. As I went past the half marathon mark, I was really starting to feel very tired and sore generally, this came much earlier than previous marathons. I tried to remind myself that this was a great experience, especially after hearing from a race official that Kelvin Kiptum had set a new world record and the second half of the race was really an exercise of discipline and concentration, with a bit of running involved. The last mile of the race felt like two miles and the slight incline within 800m to go and the left turn after that was most welcome as the finish line was in sight. Whilst this wasn’t a PB race for me, I was pleased with the finish and the experience was unforgettable. I think in running, we sometimes need to embrace where we are physically and conditioning-wise (or the lack of it) and doing the best that we can on the day is quite satisfying in itself. The event also celebrated its millionth finisher, Allison Naval (Greater Chicago Food Depository) who was a resident of Illinois. The edition was perhaps made more special as the women’s course record was broken by Sifan Hassan and the course records for both wheelchair race events were broken on the day as well.
Results:
Kelvin Kiptum 2:00:35 (New WR)
Sifan Hassan 2:13:44 (New course record)
Helen Waddington 3:37:34
Michael Ho 3:57:05
(Allison Naval 4:23:13m the millionth Chicago Marathon finisher)
45,000+ finishers