Every dedicated runner will understand the frustration I felt last spring when
a stress fracture of the left shin kept me out of the London Marathon. So
while kicking my heels during the summer I set a new target — destination
Chicago.
At $95 (£54), the entry fee is more than double the London price, but if
you’re going to stump up for plane fares, accommodation and carbo-loading
meals anyway, that aspect is a mere drop in the Atlantic Ocean. Without
wishing to sound mean-spirited, I’ve never been keen on hustling around for
sponsorship. One quick credit-card transaction via the Chicago Marathon
website and I was in, with a couple of months to get back into something
like 26.2-mile shape.
By the time October rolled around I had accrued hundreds of road miles, not
enough to break any personal records, but certainly sufficient to avoid
embarrassment. Besides, this was a race and a holiday rolled into one: so my
week in the Windy City wasn’t going to be all work and no play.
Arriving a week before the big day allowed plenty of time to adjust to the
six-hour time difference from the UK. Walking around is a good way to
familiarise yourself with the layout of the city, although efficient buses
and the elevated train system known as the El will easily pick up the slack
when you have that little bit farther to go.
Navy Pier, which juts out of the downtown area into Lake Michigan, is one such
spot. Along with a children’s museum, bars, restaurants and shops, there is
the Time Escape virtual reality ride, which takes you around Chicago from
prehistoric times to way off into the future. They also managed to persuade
John Cleese to provide a voiceover on the soundtrack.
You can hop on a boat from here, gaining another perspective on the city as
well as the vastness of Lake Michigan. At 307 miles long and 118 miles wide,
it might as well be an ocean — and it certainly seemed that way when I took
a dip on a balmy 27C (80F) afternoon spent at the lakeshore beach.
Eating out, as you would expect in America, is the required follow-up to a
shopping expedition. I had to try the Windy City’s signature dish of Deep
Pan Pizza, but even in a week when I was obliged to mop up every calorie in
sight, I couldn’t clear the plate.
Another must for the visitor is the Second City, an improvisational comedy
troupe, in which the likes of Bill Murray cut their teeth. The current
troupe maintains a razor- sharp edge, giving it to the Republicans with both
barrels and skewering America’s soft underbelly of soccer moms and
competitive dads.
In terms of preparation I’d managed no more than a couple of early-morning
jogs around the city streets by the time race-number collection day rolled
around on the Friday, so I determined that I’d walk the five or so miles
downtown to the Health & Fitness Expo at McCormick Place.
Marvelling at a location along Michigan Avenue where it crosses the river,
frequently used in ER, I was approached by a marathon entrant from
Mexico City who introduced himself as Armando Chavez and asked if he might
join me.
Off we went, joined by two of Armando’s amigos . . . plus his
mother, who had to be at least 70, yet bravely kept up with our brisk pace.
A mile passed, then two, it started to rain and I still had no real idea how
far we had to go.
And there was Armando’s mamma getting drenched in her poncho. So I caved in
and hailed a cab, as Armando and the gang crowded into the back. I was quite
proud of negotiating a total fare of $20 for the five of us. At least until
I discovered on the return journey the free shuttle buses between the Expo
and all downtown hotels.
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Finally the big day dawned, and I rose at 5am to take advantage of the
breakfast service the hotel provided for us runners. It was only a couple of
miles to the start in Grant Park, so I treated that as my warm-up, walking
briskly among the growing throng. I checked in my sweatpants and top and
found my start area a good 20 minutes before the 8am start.
There, massed behind me, were about 28,000 runners, and as the glowing orange
sunrise reflected off the skyscrapers and some bloke who used to be in the Dukes
of Hazzard sang the Star-Spangled Banner I felt an unfamiliar
tingle of excitement.
Off we went beneath overpasses, past furniture stores, on bridges across the
lake, and every step of the way there was intense noise. Where a small child
on the London Marathon route might say “Keep going, well done”, and clap
politely, the Chicago equivalent was a 17-year-old behemoth bellowing at the
top of his lungs: “WHHOOOOOAGGGGH!!! AWESOME, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!”
One crew of roadside spectators offered “free high fives” (gloves on sticks).
We went though Chinese, Mexican, Russian, all sorts of ethnic neighbourhoods
— and all laying on their own noisy greeting.
Urged on by this relentless enthusiasm I made a decent enough start, reaching
18 miles before the dreaded dead legs began to kick in. Then I flagged,
badly, and it took me an hour to complete the last six miles for a 3.36
finish — not bad, but nowhere near my best. Curiously I’ve never completed a
marathon feeling better. Perhaps it was the Gatorade drink. But then again,
maybe it was the samples of Michelob Ultra beer being handed out at the
finish.
NEED TO KNOW
This year’s Chicago Marathon (www.chicagomarathon.com) takes place on October
22. Mike Barnard’s trip was arranged by the Chicago Office of Tourism (0870
0503410, www.gochicago.com) and British Airways (0870 8509850, www.ba.com),
which flies from Heathrow to Chicago from £430.
Training: 2:09 Events (0870 3500209, www.209events.com) runs marathon training
holidays abroad. Steven Seaton, editor of Runner’s World,
recommends a minimum training period of 12 weeks for a moderately fit
person. Once fully fit, few runners would enter more than two events a year.
Reading: Chicago (£10.99, Rough Guides); Marathon: From
start to finish (£12.99, A&C Black). Outside Magazine’s
Urban Adventure: Chicago (£15.95, W. W. Norton).
Page 3: Eight more marathon ideas around the world
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RACE AROUND THE WORLD
by Mike Barnard, Will Hide
Still stomping your feet at missing out on London? Here are some other
easy-to-enter marathons worth going for. Places are often booked up well in
advance, but there’s nothing to stop you planning ahead for 2007.
Stockholm marathon (www.stockholmmarathon.se), June 3. What a
setting. Rated among the world’s top ten marathons, with the finish inside
the 1912 Olympic Stadium. Entries for this year have closed.
Edinburgh marathon (www.edinburgh-marathon.com), June 11.
Starts on Princes Street with 15,000 entrants. A fairly fast course, and
organisers promise that this year will be faster still. Ballot entries have
closed, but you may be able to enter with a charity place.
Reykjavik marathon (www.marathon.is), July 15. Run among the
glaciers and geysers on a glorious trail in the coolest conditions you’re
likely to encounter in any organised race in July. You’ll be dining out on
this for years.
Robin Hood marathon (020-8939 3215,
www.robinhoodmarathon.co.uk), September 10. Merry men and women can sign up
for this dash around Nottingham. Voted by Runner’s World as the UK’s No 2
marathon behind London.
Dublin marathon (00 353 1 623 2250,
www.dublincitymarathon.ie), October 30. Known as “the friendly marathon”,
with guaranteed entry for all. A flat run around one loop of the city. Treat
yourself to a few cold Guinnesses afterwards.
Luton marathon (01582 726379, www.lutonmarathon.org.uk),
December 3. A well-organised race highly rated by runners. Get this
pre-Christmas challenge out of the way and the festive season is yours to
enjoy.
Marathon du Médoc (www.marathondumedoc.com), September
9. An hour north of Bordeaux, this marathon runs among vineyards of about 60
châteaux, including Château Mouton Rothschild. Wine samples are given out
every 2km, with steak and oysters towards the finish.
Safaricom marathon, Kenya (www.tusk.org), June 24. Staged
several hours north of Nairobi, this marathon raises funds for Tusk, a
conservation trust. It runs mainly on dirt roads through spectacular
countryside, where you can see the direct beneficiaries of conservation,
such as Omni, the orphaned black rhino pictured on our cover alongside a
Masai warrior, and Sarah Watson, project manager with Tusk. (Omni, now fully
grown, has been moved to a safe area.) There are spotter planes and rangers,
but running within a wild game reserve — it is the only such marathon — with
giraffes visible on the horizon, is one of the joys of this unique endurance
test.
