Chicago Marathon

Chicago, Illinois

Sunday, October 11, 2026

Signed up for this race and booked the host hotel, Hilton Chicago, a full year ago back in October of 2025.  And with good reason, as you can't book the hotel through the marathon site until you sign up for the marathon itself, and the Hilton Chicago was sold out just a few days after opening to marathoners.  This hotel was absolutely the right choice, being just across the street and a couple blocks away from both the start and finish.  

Friday:  Race day minus 2.  Arrived on Friday afternoon together with Matthew and Tom and Shara.  Flight was just OK, but it was direct from Providence and pretty short at ~2.5 hours.  Orange line from Midway Airport brought us into the city, where we checked in at the hotel before taking a commuter rail to the expo and packet pickup McCormick Place.  It was nice to get the packet pickup done with on Friday, which left Saturday for a chill relaxing day.  Enjoyable dinner a block away at Thai Spoon and Sushi.

The Chicago expo was fine and very easy to navigate, but I've been
to so many marathon expos now that I just quickly file through them.
I checked out the Chicago Marathon running hat, but it just wasn't my
color, so I'm good to go.  (Matthew is left-most in photo)

Checking in to the Chicago Hilton, I asked if there were any high-floor
rooms available (quieter, less traffic), and I received a
complimentary upgrade!  Matthew and I each had our own
bathroom in the room, which was nice as well.  This is the 
view from our 25th floor room.

Saturday:  Race day minus 1.  Slow and easy 3-mile morning run with Tom and Shara out along the waterfront as far as Adler Planetarium.  A lot of cement, but it was short and the best view we would have all weekend, including the race itself.  I had run Fun Runs here when on business conferences probably a decade ago, and actually remember the route and waterfront skyline views.

Near Shedd's Aquarium, looking back over Lake Michigan 
shoreline with the Chicago skyline in background.

Post-run I ate a big breakfast at the hotel buffet.  Not the best I've ever had and not the cheapest, but still pretty good.

Hotel breakfast was pretty good!

Just a few of the many stations at breakfast,
not showing the omelet station also included in price.

Post-run went with Tommy and Shara to a great little coffee shop, Paris Baguette, just a few blocks south of the hotel.  Vishak Malik from Soundrunner CT team joined us as we were wrapping up and it was good to catch up with him as we run similar times.

This place was fantastic!

For our pre-race dinner, Matthew and I have our ritual of a pasta dinner, while Tommy and Shara have a different ritual so we parted ways.  I had initially planned to sign up for the race pasta dinner for $50, but I procrastinated in registering and the prime slots were quickly gone.  I then booked the nearby Grant Park Bistro as they had several pasta options, but upon checking into the hotel learned the hotel was having a pasta dinner buffet themselves.  Right inside the hotel, no reservations, and coincidentally half the price of the race buffet.  Fantastic!

I was tempted to start with desserts first!
You know, carb loading, right?

Matthew and Andrew helping themselves to the nice pasta buffet.

Also included a salad bar.  A steal for all this at $24!
(Except that the hotel applied an $18/person food credit each day to our
stay, so we had a salad, pasta, and dessert buffet for $6 each!)

Race day:  I set my alarm for 5:30am (against a 7:35am race start).  As is often the case for goal races, I woke up ahead of my alarm.  Since it was just after 5, I relaxed a little before getting up and getting going with my usual ritual:

• Applying BodyGlide
• Putting on my race kit (all laid out the night before, including bib pre-pinned to my singlet)
• Race morning breakfast ritual (oatmeal using hot water from coffee maker, plus granola and chia seeds [all brought from home], plus 1 yogurt I took from previous morning's hotel breakfast buffet)

Race kit (or most of it) laid out the night before and
ready to go.  Several people asked me why my bib number
was so high.  I have no idea.

Relaxed back in bed until it was time to leave about 5:50am.  Packed my hotel key and 6 GU gels into my zippered back pocket, put two water bottles (one for Vikash as he requested) and an Untapped waffle into a drawstring bag I would throw away, and jogged the 0.4 miles to Security Gate 1.  Entered security just after 6am.  Easy peasy, quick and done.

Met up with Vikash and walked in with him until we parted ways as he went to bag check and I wasn't using bag check.  Next randomly met up with Jared and we sat and talked for a while to try to kill time.  Walked to Corral B, where ran into Tommy and Shara in the bathroom line.  It was long!

Did some more warm-up inside the corral, although it was more of a forced jog as you were running in a CCW narrow oval with many others.  Had more than enough time, and was ready for the race to start.  Some people brought throw away clothes, but since it was already 60℉ and humid at the start, I was warm in a singlet as it was.  After the national anthem, on a large screen we watched the wheelchair runners start at 7:20, and then the pros at 7:30, and we were scheduled for 7:35.  Because they stopped runners twice before I got to the start (evidently just to space them out a bit?), my start was at 7:39am.

Race goal:  Earlier in the week, Vikash had asked me my goal for the marathon.  The awkward question, right?  :)  I told him I was looking to go sub-2:55, and I was thinking somewhere around 2:52 would be nice.  The first few miles through the city the general plan was to run ~6:35, then drop into high 6:20s.  He was advocating for negative splits, but since I had never done this in my 30 marathons to date, I figured the math that if I was able to hold ~6:30 or just under until 20 miles and then didn't drop off much after that, 2:52 was possible.  I had run 2:57:46 last year on a much harder course at New York City Marathon, and my two goal races this summer and fall had gone very well:

• Blessing of the Fleet 10M (July):  62:08 [6:13 pace]
• New Haven 20K (September):  1:17:32 [6:14 pace]

BUT, it was 60℉ at the start with 88% humidity, and nearly 70℉ with full sun at the finish.  That I had not factored into any of my target planning, as 1) I didn't know how to, and 2) I didn't know at what point or to what extent the heat would impact my performance.

A yellow alert was issue for the marathon, as temps were above average and forecast to rise
into the 70s

Race start and first half:  Just the day before, Vikash and I had talked about running together as we had similar race goals.  We wished either good luck, but once we started, I never saw him again until very late in the race and I basically ran by myself the whole race.

For the full course of the Chicago Marathon, a blue striped line is painted on the course indicating the shortest possible route (i.e., the tangents).  I had all good intentions of following this closely, but that wasn't to be for a few reasons:

• The blue line wasn't exactly bright, and the paint was faded.
• The stripe wasn't so much a stripe as a dash every once in a while.  In other words, it didn't really stick out and you had to look for.
• For the early miles, due to runners around me, it wasn't really possible for me to follow the shortest route, and instead I was following the route of least resistance (i.e., when passing runners, I couldn't wait and follow a blue line).

Almost immediately, within the first 1/2 of the race, we hit the tunnels of Lower Wacker Drive.  I was forewarned of wild inaccuracies on GPS watches in this section, so I was pleasantly surprised to find my Mile 1 split on my watch remarkably close to the actual Mile 1 sign on the course.

We had so many section of this weird red rug,
which was placed over sections of road like this
that had steel grates.  I guess it was an improvement,
but you could still feel the steel grates through the rug.

I held to plan and ran the first 4 miles just north of 6:30/mile pace, and then dropped down into the high 6:20s, again according to plan.  The first four miles we were running through skyscrapers and downtown business areas.  It was fairly congested, and I was able to hit my splits, albeit having to move other runners.  

Just rounding a corner coming into the southern end of Lincoln Park in Mile 5, I hear "Jeffrey!".  It's Tommy 5K!  We give each other a word of encouragement as I move ahead.  In Miles 5-8 we run north through Lincoln Park and parallel to Lake Michigan, but unfortunately at no point during the marathon do we actually see the water.

Course route, from my Strava post

At Mile 8, the course turns around and heads south until the halfway point.  The only thing I can remember in this section is the long aid station section with synchronized speakers blasting out AC/DC's TNT!  I remember thinking at the time how I wish that could just be continued on the course.  It was always clear on fluids at the aid station, as not only did the water always precede Gatorade, but there was a sizable gap between the two so easy to distinguish the end of the water and start of the Gatorade, and furthermore water was served in plain white cups while Gatorade was served in green Gatorade branded cups.

I'm able to hold sub-6:30 through this period, before running through the half at 1:26:21.  While that would translate to a sub-2:53 if I could run even or negative splits (I never have in a marathon), I'm thinking sub-2:55 is a possibility at this point.

2nd half and finish:  Mile 14 was an anomaly in 6:15, as it was my only mile sub-6:25.  I really don't know why or how, but it would be my final sub-6:30 mile, as the mile splits ticked up from there.  I was then running in the high 6:30s through 25K, when I remember feeling really warm.  The sun was out in full at this morning, the temps were well into the mid-60s, but at least there were a number of sections where tall buildings blocked the sun.  

Somewhere early in the 2nd half, I rolled my ankle with an awkward foot placement into a pothole.  Lost my stride a bit for a minute or so, but not enough to be a factor.  Just awkward!

At about 30K, we entered Chinatown, which was pretty cool and there was a lot of crowd support here.  Between 30K and 35K, my pace just continued the downward spiral into the 6:50s.  One bright spot for me was a large Taiwanese flag with a big group of Taiwanese cheering for runners.  I yelled out "Taiwan hen hao!" (Taiwan is great!) to the clearly surprised people at that station, who gave me a thumbs up and cheered loudly for me as I ran past.

Somewhere around this section, I see and awkwardly step around a shoe (an unoccupied shoe!) on the course.  Immediately afterwards, I see a one-shoed runner running backwards on the course into the runners!  Well, I know what he's seeking, and I certainly don't envy him!

35K, about Mile 22.  I am cursing the English King Edward VII who extended the marathon distance in Summer Olympics 1908 just so his family could view the marathon at their place (Windsor), and this "26 miles and 385 yards" became the new standard, which Boston and other marathon then extended their distance to.  I am feeling just awful, overheated, and want to be done.  7K (4M) may be a short distance left, but not in this heat and condition.

Just after 35K, we head south on an OAB section before turning around and heading north to the finish.  This OAB section is only 1 mile in each direction, but it's discouraging to see runners heading towards knowing they are ahead of you and this section just seemed to go on so long.  I am totally done and blown up at this point.  At one water stop, I take three consecutive cups of water.  I try to count the kilometer markers as they come up quicker than the mile markers, but it's still a slog.  Between 35K and 40K, my pace is quickly reduced to 7:30 and then low 8s.  By Mile 24, I ran running 8:11 pace.  Ugh.  So many people around me are walking, some laying down, some stretching a leg seemingly in pain, and more than one vomiting on the sides.  This is not helping!

In the final two miles, I see Vikash go past me.  I have nothing left to chase after him or even shout out encouragement to him.  I go through the Mile 25 marker, and then a big "1 Mile to Go!" sign.  I check my watch and it's right at 2:52:00, meaning my maintaining my current pace north of 8 minutes/mile ensures I will finish north of 3 hours.

It's been a rough second half for me thus far, but I reflect on just how depressed I will be if I finish at 3:00:xx.  Can I pick up my pace at least 20 seconds per mile faster for this final mile?  I'm sure going to try.  I periodically check my watch and feel relieved when I see the average lap pace drop down below 7:45, but I don't want to leave this to chance in case I can't hold the pace in the final meters and I know the only hill on the course is coming up.

I make the right turn off South Michigan and up the only hill on the entire course!  The hill is all of about 20' so even in my weakened state and this late in the race it's a total non issue.  The hill is a bridge over train tracks, and then we take a quick left into Grant Park and the finish line is visible.

Final result:  2:59:10, 3137 overall (out of 54,601), 9th in age group (out of 1,130), 4th American in age group.  Result link here.

While I didn't hit the time goal I had set for myself, I got in a sub-3 at age 62 on a warm day, and I got my 3rd star in the World Marathon Majors, so I can't complain.  Matthew had a tough day out there and decided to cut his losses and focus on NYC Marathon on November 1.  Shara killed it with another PR in 2:54!  And for my Tommy, it was pretty amazing that he finished at all given a lengthy injury period and almost no training, but he did and in a very respectable 3:15!

I was real sore for the rest of the day, and just took some needed downtime.  Lunch ended up being take-out consumed in my hotel room.  Went to visit Shedd Aquarium in the afternoon.  Rented a bike to get there as my legs were sore but the downside was I had to keep stopping for all the marathon crowds.  In the evening, the four of us took an Uber to have deep-dish pizza.  I don't think deep-dish pizza is my thing, but I'm glad we went as it's always good to sample the local food specialties.

Small aquarium, but nice

Woke up Monday morning very hungry, so while I was tempted by Tommy and Shara's offer for a return visit to the Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe, I "needed" something more filling and enjoyed another hotel breakfast buffet.  After breakfast, and after finding and tipping our very friendly and very nice hotel room attendant, it was off to Midway Airport for an uneventful flight home.

This was my first time flying Southwest, as up
until this year, you couldn't even book seats!  This is
definitely a no-frills airline.  I think I selected one of the
best seats on the plane, as at least it gave my sore legs a little
bit of stretching room (above).  The way that they setup
their exit rows is a bit strange and they seem to be 
pinching pennies to jam cramped seats in tightly.
---
Oh well, fortunately it's just a short flight, so tolerable.

Epilogue:  Three World Marathon Majors stars down, three stars to go.  (I'm not even thinking about the newest additions beyond six stars at this point.)  So what's next?  I feel like I "have" to have something on the race schedule to keep me engaged in running.  That's just me.

Five days after finishing Chicago, I received the following e-mail:

Next marathon stop:  Tokyo, Japan!  Stay tuned ...