Chicago Marathon - Oct 8th 2023

Yesterday was a great day out, always is when you PB. Incredible support from start to finish. Plenty of water/Gatorade available throughout. Got chatting to some Irish runners (and others) before/during/after. Thought the route was an enjoyable one and the various neighbourhoods offered something different. Very well organised before and afterwards. I didn't have any issues with security, bag check or corrals beforehand and similar experience post race. Collecting medal, space blanket and refreshments was seamless. I got changed on one of the benches across from the fountain and chatted with various people about their races. Wandered up to the 27th mile which looked fun but I didn't hang around long. First major done. Highly recommended to anyone considering it. Will do a race report on my log at some stage this week.

If you do not get a hotel near The Loop or on The Magnificent Mile, I would recommend staying somewhere along the CTA Blue Line. I was about 10 stops away from The Loop and with a 7 day CTA pass ($20 + $5 for the card), I was able to get in/out without any hassle. I had read on Reddit that the schedule was hit/miss but I did not experience that at all. I used it very early morning for race day and also the day before for the Chicago 5Km. I also used it to get to the expo and around to other sightseeing areas.

Some tips that might be useful for over there.

Camelbaks or anything with a bladder can not be used. Running vests with soft flasks on the front can be used. I may have worn my running vest had I definitely known this but I got on fine without it. I would have overloaded it with unnecessary stuff had I brought it.

Security check was brief. My bag got physically checked. My bag and I then had a metal detector test. You can not check in your own backpack as your drop bag. I did however have a backpack rolled up in my official bag check so I could carry stuff later on. No issue doing this.

Pack warm clothes in your bag check for afterwards. I'd a full set of clothes, jacket and hat. Gloves would've been a welcome addition.

There was no issue with me bringing in bottled water to mix my Maurten in there. I did not however want to risk mixing it beforehand in case they asked me to empty it out.

When you pick up your bib, there is a beer token, bag check token and bag check label attached to it. You do need the bag check label and bag check token. I was not asked for either a beer token or my ID when I was getting a beer at the end. I forgot my bag check token at my AirBnb but my number was on my bib so no issues for me anyway.

The Chicago 5Km the day before was a good dry run for getting prepared that morning and also for taking the CTA in to the city centre. As conditions were almost the same for both days, it was good to see what running in them were like. The beanie and medal were nice too. Up to you if you think $45 was worth it. There are other organised shakeout runs available but they will not be organised until much closer to race day.

If you are going to use the CTA, bring a small amount of dollars in cash. There were problems for a lot of non US folks when trying to pay at the CTA machines at O'Hare airport. I even had problems with cash until I moved to another machine. The Ventra app allows you to transfer your Ventra card as a contactless payment option on your phone. Do not do this if you have an android phone. There are many people who have posted online about having issues with it. I had to pick up another card because of this. $5 gone down the drain.

The day after the race is known as "Medal Monday". Nike, Fleet Feet and Under Armour usually do medal engraving with your name and time for free. Expect queues. Expect to see everyone wearing their medals around the city. You will get congratulations from runners and non runners. Enjoy it. Same goes for your travel home. The airplane was rammed with finishers wearing medals

Book your sightseeing in advance, even if you are doing it the day of booking. I tried to rock up to 360 on the day and there was a 90 minute wait. I enjoyed the boat tour recommended on here. Definitely worth checking out.

Not too far from the expo, I swung by Dick's Sporting Goods to pick up some Chicago sports teams items for my kids. Seemed a little pricey so jumped next door to TJ Maxx and picked up stuff there much cheaper. Across the road is DSW which has really cheap shoes. Picked up some runners at much cheaper prices than home.

If you need running specific items, there are various brands with stands at the expo. Keep an eye out closer to race day for a full list of brands. They will likely only accept card on the day.

The t-shirt you get with your entry is your participant t-shirt. There was marathon specific items released by Nike, Saucony, Rabbit and Heartbreak weeks before the event. There was also "finishers" gear released by Nike which was available at Fleet Feet and Nike store. I didn't get any of it. Nike gear didn't look great imo but the other stuff didn't look too bad.