Chicago Marathon 9th October 2011

Krusty_Clown

Anyone else doing this, or is it just myself, emer911 and Ryan Hall? Really hoping for some pretty average weather this year. No heatwaves our sub zeros please!

Sosa

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Anyone else doing this, or is it just myself, emer911 and Ryan Hall? Really hoping for some pretty average weather this year. No heatwaves our sub zeros please!

Unfortunately not Krustopher......best of luck with it though

Killerz

Yep, i'm doing it. Gonna try and finally get the sub3 (evil) monkey off my back there....subject to good preps and decent temps on the day.

Krusty_Clown

Killerz wrote: »

Yep, i'm doing it. Gonna try and finally get the sub3 (evil) monkey off my back there....subject to good preps and decent temps on the day.

Good stuff Killerz. Must meet up for a (fingers crossed!) celebratory drink afterwards. Are you staying in downtown Chicago?

Killerz

Sorry krusty- just saw this response now for some reason. Yep, staying downtown, and indeed i would be well up for a post race beer (though stopping at one will probably be tougher than the marathon itself) whether or not its celebratory.

You downtown yerself? Have you done it before?

Krusty_Clown

Killerz wrote: »

Sorry krusty- just saw this response now for some reason. Yep, staying downtown, and indeed i would be well up for a post race beer (though stopping at one will probably be tougher than the marathon itself) whether or not its celebratory.

You downtown yerself? Have you done it before?

Nope, never done it before. Staying close to the navy pier. did you get your corral reassigned? Bit of a pain having to send a fax, but thankfully it's done.

TheRoadRunner

Interested to hear how you guys find this one. Is definitely on my list of marathons to do. Shels4ever did it back in 1999 I think and said it's a great one. Course is supposed to be flat & fast.

corkrunner71

Yeah, best of luck from me too. Would also be really interested to hear what ye thought of it. Hopefully at some point in the future we might get over there.

Al0502

Did it in 2009 - The course is very flat so ideal for a fast time. Crowd is great too.
If you are using a GPS watch it goes a bit crazy at the start with all the tall buildings so don't panic

Killerz

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Nope, never done it before. Staying close to the navy pier. did you get your corral reassigned? Bit of a pain having to send a fax, but thankfully it's done.

Yep, i'm in the top corral i think... Whatever the sub3:10 corral is. Should give a bit of space. I was very impressed with how easy it was to run at a good speed from the corrals in boston (everyone going at same speed, so volumes didnt really matter) so i'm expecting the same standard here....

I'm close to city hall- prob about the same distance away as navy pier but in the other direction.

Emer911

Getting close now, just a few weeks to go...

Killerz

Ya, cant wait. Really looking forward to it! Is it too early to start the weather forecasting? No wind and a cool 10 degrees is what i heard....

Emer911

Killerz wrote: »

Ya, cant wait. Really looking forward to it! Is it too early to start the weather forecasting? No wind and a cool 10 degrees is what i heard....

Wow, that's some long term forecast! The furthest out forecasting I can get is about 10 days

central park

Did this in 2005 and haven't beaten my time since in a marathon. Great city, you'll love it. Did you ever see the Youtube video of " How not to finish a marathon" from Chicago 2006? Worth a look! just don't try to copy it!!!

Killerz

Any other advice on this marathon? Some questions i had were as follows:

Roughly how long waiting around in corral before start (i am in sub 3:10 corral), plus how long should one get there before the start?

I note there are pace groups, including a sub3 group. But i believe you need to sign up for these at the expo. I wonder why... Can you not just follow the signs? Any ideas?

Unlinke boston, it looks like there is no postrace party. Any good suggestions for some beers directly after marathon, and also beers later on that night?

Any other hints /tips to make life a little easier?

Krusty_Clown

A buddy told me that D4 (ironic naming) is supposed to be good. They have Delerium tremens on draft, so I'm definitely popping in there at some stage.

It's probably around time to book your Italian pasta feast, for the night before..

PDCAT

Killerz wrote: »

Any other advice on this marathon? Some questions i had were as follows:

Roughly how long waiting around in corral before start (i am in sub 3:10 corral), plus how long should one get there before the start?

I note there are pace groups, including a sub3 group. But i believe you need to sign up for these at the expo. I wonder why... Can you not just follow the signs? Any ideas?

Unlinke boston, it looks like there is no postrace party. Any good suggestions for some beers directly after marathon, and also beers later on that night?

Any other hints /tips to make life a little easier?

Regarding the beer's late at night. If your into blues music, some great locations.
Buddy Guy's Legend's Bar (if your lucky the man may come out himself and play).
Blue Chicago
Kingston Mines

Good atmosphere in these place's, good beer and great music.

Killerz

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

A buddy told me that D4 (ironic naming) is supposed to be good. They have Delerium tremens on draft, so I'm definitely popping in there at some stage.

It's probably around time to book your Italian pasta feast, for the night before..

Must bear that in mind! Delerium Tremens could well put me to sleep, but i suppose it would be a happy sleep! May see you in one of those premises, post-race, krusty.

I've booked maggiano's for the night before - seems to be fairly decent according to the runners world forums (--- not that i read those forums.... Someone told me... ---)


PDCAT - thanks for the recommendations.... The buddy guy place sounds fab!

So thats the beer organised- any ideas on the other questions!

Krusty_Clown

Killerz wrote: »

I've booked maggiano's for the night before - seems to be fairly decent according to the runners world forums

Thanks. Now booked in there too. Getting hungry reading the menu.

Krusty_Clown

Nice preview video of the marathon route.

Good so see Martin Fagan is down as part of the elite field and plans to take on John Treacy's NR. Hopefully he has a good race. Weather over in Chicago is looking very Irish at the moment.

Marthastew

Killerz wrote: »

Any other advice on this marathon? Some questions i had were as follows:

Roughly how long waiting around in corral before start (i am in sub 3:10 corral), plus how long should one get there before the start?

I note there are pace groups, including a sub3 group. But i believe you need to sign up for these at the expo. I wonder why... Can you not just follow the signs? Any ideas?

Unlinke boston, it looks like there is no postrace party. Any good suggestions for some beers directly after marathon, and also beers later on that night?

Any other hints /tips to make life a little easier?

I ran this in 09 as my second marathon, LOVED it. Big city marathon and very busy but the wide streets means it's not as busy as Paris or Berlin. The support along the way is out of this world, much like Boston. There are bands along the way and parties. The Chicagoans are very proud of their marathon.
The start area is huge and fairly well organised but I would aim to be in your corral not much later than 7.15 (does it still start at 8?).

With regard to pacers, you can indeed just follow them, when you sign up at the expo they give you a pacetatoo and a sign with your time on it that you pin on your back, the theory is that someone behind you will have a good idea of their pace/position, I've always wondered what would happen if you were following someone who had slowed down and given up on their goal

One final word of advice, in the last 500k you turn round a corner and head uphill before turning again to the finish; it is barely a hill but because of where it comes in the course it can really piss you off.

Have a wonderful time, I would love to be running it, it's a really special marathon. Fingers crossed for the weather, I was very lucky the year I ran it, a bit too cold (0 degree Celsius) but not the heat that Chicago is known for.

Good luck

Marthastew

Obviously I meant 500M not 500K:D

Killerz

Thanks for the insight, marthastew. It starts at 7:30, so i take it that your advice is to get in the corral 45 mins prior- ie 6:45?

Marthastew

Killerz wrote: »

Thanks for the insight, marthastew. It starts at 7:30, so i take it that your advice is to get in the corral 45 mins prior- ie 6:45?

yes, i'd plan on being in your corral about 45 mins before start. I guess they have made the start earlier because of the possible heat.

I forgot to tell you the most important thing.... The beer you get after is alcoholic:D, ice cold and tastes great.

Killerz

Watched 'Spirit of the Marathon' again last night to get me in the mood. Just need to watch Run Fatboy Run now and my training is complete

village runner

Anyone done this before that can help me with accomodation ??
Hotel or pref an apartment. Hoping to do it nxt year.
Better book somewhere before the mrs chages her mind.:D:D

Peckham

village runner wrote: »

Anyone done this before that can help me with accomodation ??
Hotel or pref an apartment. Hoping to do it nxt year.
Better book somewhere before the mrs chages her mind.:D:D

Try homeaway.com - I booked my apartment for Boston through them.

Marthastew

Wishing you all the very, very best of luck. Weather forecast is very good for Chicago. Enjoy it, hope you all run the race you're hoping for and I look forward to hearing all about it on here next week.
Give my best to Ryan:D

RoverHogan

Best of luck to everyone doing this! It's a marathon that's on my bucket list. I'm looking forward to reading the race reports next week.

TheRoadRunner

RoverHogan wrote: »

Best of luck to everyone doing this! It's a marathon that's on my bucket list. I'm looking forward to reading the race reports next week.

+1. Good luck lads. Looks like it's going to be a hot one. Get the fluids on board early.

Anybody know if there is online athlete tracking available? I see there is SMS tracking but not so sure about online tracking!

Seriously excited to see how Fagan runs. I really hoping he just does the bear minimum and bags the Olympic qualifying time rather than chase a national record. Also excited about KCs race tactics and how he is going to try and smash Fagan like he smashed Gebrselassie in New york last year

menoscemo

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Also excited about KCs race tactics and how he is going to try and smash Fagan like he smashed Gebrselassie in New york last year

Looks like he got that tactic spot on again

tang1

Any word on how Martin Fagan done??

dna_leri

tang1 wrote: »

Any word on how Martin Fagan done??

See thread in main forum, collapsed and dnf at 41K

Pronator

dna_leri wrote: »

See thread in main forum, collapsed and dnf at 41K

Looking at his 5k splits, he ran his fastest at 30k (15:10) then slowed to (15:36), he final 5k split was (16:37), must have been in a very bad way.

pre

Pronator wrote: »

Looking at his 5k splits, he ran his fastest at 30k (15:10) then slowed to (15:36), he final 5k split was (16:37), must have been in a very bad way.

Starting to get boring the Martin Fagan saga. Im his biggest fan but this guy is not on the same planet as John Treacy.

ecoli

pre wrote: »

Starting to get boring the Martin Fagan saga. Im his biggest fan but this guy is not on the same planet as John Treacy.

Would argue this. Was on 2.11 low pace up until 40k and at 41 from the reports seemed to collapse with heat exhaustion. Unlucky in this incidence but this attempt is by far his best marathon attempt to date. Had he stayed on his feet there is no way he wouldnt have achieved a PB.

Still think he his in the shape of his life and to me the coaching switch was a great move

pre

Its classic Irish mentality heroic defeat. I respect u for sticking up for him because i did for years and will continue to stick up for all Irish athletes forever. I dont train in a big group of runners i train with one quality athlete that does not have Mfs ability but would leave him for dead dead when it comes to heart. I wont be popular for this coment but i question the will of some modern day marathon runners. Treacy ran 2.09 in the 80's. Where have our marathon runners gone, i think its time to switch the playstations OFF.

ecoli

pre wrote: »

Its classic Irish mentality heroic defeat. I respect u for sticking up for him because i did for years and will continue to stick up for all Irish athletes forever. I dont train in a big group of runners i train with one quality athlete that does not have Mfs ability but would leave him for dead dead when it comes to heart. I wont be popular for this coment but i question the will of some modern day marathon runners. Treacy ran 2.09 in the 80's. Where have our marathon runners gone, i think its time to switch the playstations OFF.

I can see what you are saying but I think you need to look at today. He COLLAPSED with heat exhaustions it was not that he gave up that is not a mental thing. For me he has shown great mental strength to keep coming back from Injury. He had quit the sport earlier this year only to come back and give it another shot. He left it all on the line today and I think had he stayed on his feet today there would be different tunes.

I am usually frustrated by athletes with DNFs (Cragg was one for a long time who came to mind) and can't understand how people can ever contemplate dropping out as an option but i think if the body gives up rather than the mind (which was the case today) then an athlete can't be held at fault. Still think if he can stay healthy has the ability to go lower than Treacy's record (though I think Cragg in Fukouka will most likely take this so will no longer be an NR)

donothoponpop

pre wrote: »

Its classic Irish mentality heroic defeat. I respect u for sticking up for him because i did for years and will continue to stick up for all Irish athletes forever. I dont train in a big group of runners i train with one quality athlete that does not have Mfs ability but would leave him for dead dead when it comes to heart. I wont be popular for this coment but i question the will of some modern day marathon runners. Treacy ran 2.09 in the 80's. Where have our marathon runners gone, i think its time to switch the playstations OFF.

Kick a man while he's down, that'll help. Were you also bored at John Tracey collapsing from heat exhaustion with 200m to go, during the 1980 Olympic 10k? Tracey came back from this disappointment a better racer, no doubt Fagan will as well.

pre

ecoli wrote: »

I can see what you are saying but I think you need to look at today. He COLLAPSED with heat exhaustions it was not that he gave up that is not a mental thing. For me he has shown great mental strength to keep coming back from Injury. He had quit the sport earlier this year only to come back and give it another shot. He left it all on the line today and I think had he stayed on his feet today there would be different tunes.

I am usually frustrated by athletes with DNFs (Cragg was one for a long time who came to mind) and can't understand how people can ever contemplate dropping out as an option but i think if the body gives up rather than the mind (which was the case today) then an athlete can't be held at fault. Still think if he can stay healthy has the ability to go lower than Treacy's record (though I think Cragg in Fukouka will most likely take this so will no longer be an NR)

I hope ur right and i respect ur opinion because i agree with 90% of it but neither Cragg nor Fagan will break Teacys record any time soon. Cragg pulled out of Boston with a blister as Richard Keys would say :do me a favour love:

ecoli

pre wrote: »

I hope ur right and i respect ur opinion because i agree with 90% of it but neither Cragg nor Fagan will break Teacys record any time soon. Cragg pulled out of Boston with a blister as Richard Keys would say :do me a favour love:

But look at his season since he has manage to gain back some of the mental strength which made him a collegiate powerhouse and this has been shown with his 5k National record even though he has admitted his focus all year has been building up to marathon (and it seems that Boston was more a adaption to the distance rather than an actual genuine all out focus for the year)

pre

donothoponpop wrote: »

Kick a man while he's down, that'll help. Were you also bored at John Tracey collapsing from heat exhaustion with 200m to go, during the 1980 Olympic 10k? Tracey came back from this disappointment a better racer, no doubt Fagan will as well.

Sure he will. Keep telling him he is better than he is see where that gets you or him for that matter. I will say no more as the hierarchy of boards are on my case.

ElectraX

ecoli wrote: »

He COLLAPSED with heat exhaustions it was not that he gave up that is not a mental thing.

Extremely disappointing for him no doubt but surely he has the benefits of some of the best nutritionists and coaches of anyone running Chicago today so what went wrong there?? He lives and trains day in day out in Arizona, the conditions today if he was properly fit and on form should not have phased him to such an extent.
I would say no doubt 99.9% he didn't finish due to heat exhaustion, but he also sounds like a very psychologically driven athlete, and many athletes of that calibre can just go to pieces when they know things have gone pear shaped.

Clum

pre wrote: »

I dont train in a big group of runners i train with one quality athlete that does not have Mfs ability but would leave him for dead dead when it comes to heart.

ElectraX wrote: »

I would say no doubt 99.9% he didn't finish due to heat exhaustion, but he also sounds like a very psychologically driven athlete, and many athletes of that calibre can just go to pieces when they know things have gone pear shaped.

You're both wrong lads. Fagan is as driven as they come. In qualifying for Beijing he ran through a very painful hip injury in the Dubai marathon and was so out of it he doesn't remember crossing the finish line. He gave it everything and collapsed after finishing.

In Chicago he was on 2.10 pace for most of the race, an incredible pace, again giving it everything but the conditions got the better of him.

He's fit. That's the big thing to take from yesterday. He didn't withdraw due to injury like he has done in previous marathons, it was exhaustion that got him. He'll be back in action very soon with some unfinished business to attend to.

liamo123

Sad News From Chicago Marathon

Just reading in tonights Herald of the sad death of 35 year old firefighter William Caviness while running in yesterdays marathon... Seemingly he collapsed approx 500 metres from the finish line and despite the best efforts of medics they could not resuscitate him....


R.I.P.

plodder

It's always sad when someone dies during or after a marathon, but I don't think I've ever heard this before (from the same race):
Woman has baby after running marathon

PaulieYifter

plodder wrote: »

It's always sad when someone dies during or after a marathon, but I don't think I've ever heard this before (from the same race):
Woman has baby after running marathon

Great story but the quality of journalism in this country is unbelievable - the 42.6 km race?!?

BeepBeep67

PaulieYifter wrote: »

Great story but the quality of journalism in this country is unbelievable - the 42.6 km race?!?

If she was in Pen D it probably was :pac:

Killerz

Seeing that fagan collapsed at 41km makes me feel better about my collapse at 40km. I was in good company!

Fair play to krusty for grinding out a savage result in those conditions though. Respect!

Feel very sorry for that firefighter's family.

Great event, but anyone considering doing it needs to seriously factor in the conditions.

Krusty_Clown

Killerz wrote: »

Seeing that fagan collapsed at 41km makes me feel better about my collapse at 40km. I was in good company!

Did they not put you in the bed beside him? Well, I hope the two of you are on the path to recovery. Had a sneaky-peek at your photos, and you were looking strong throughout.

I met around 13 Irish people over the 24 hour period after the race. Only two of them didn't suffer badly from the 15-18 mile mark onwards. One was a guy I was chatting to in the corral before the start (Ronan Wogan - Slane AC), the fastest Irish man home, who finished in a really impressive 2:38 (2 minute positive split). Fair play to him.

Killerz

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Did they not put you in the bed beside him? Well, I hope the two of you are on the path to recovery. Had a sneaky-peek at your photos, and you were looking strong throughout.

I met around 13 Irish people over the 24 hour period after the race. Only two of them didn't suffer badly from the 15-18 mile mark onwards. One was a guy I was chatting to in the corral before the start (Ronan Wogan - Slane AC), the fastest Irish man home, who finished in a really impressive 2:38 (2 minute positive split). Fair play to him.

Haha, no. I would have objected to being put in the same bed as him anyhow, even in my out-of-it state :rolleyes:

Was that irish guy wearing a white hat with an irish flag on it? I saw someone in the corral sporting that.