Races: LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Course and Race Preview (part I)

For Post-race coverage click here.

On October 7th, 2007, Chicago plays host to the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. Chicago is one of the largest marathons in the world, selling out its 45,000 runner cap this year. In this article, I’ll preview the race briefly and then give some suggestions for those running in the event.

Race Overview
The Chicago Marathon is truly a race that a runner can get excited about. It’s a huge event, in a great city, and runs on a flat course to boot. I last ran Chicago in 2005 and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I wouldn’t call Chicago an exceptionally fast course, despite its flat geography, primarily because of the large crowds which can lead to congestion in the early miles.

As the race has moved back to its early October date, after being moved out two weeks last year, the weather has a much higher chance of being better for marathon running. Last year there was chance of snow in the forecast and lead runner Robert Cheruiyot actually fell crossing the slippery finish-line. The weather outlook is calling for record high temperatures, with a high temperature forecast of 88 degrees with light winds. Check out my article on racing in hot weather for tips on dealing with the heat.

The Chicago Marathon is a very well organized race, with an excellent pre-race expo, great logistical organization at the start and finish, and (dare I say it) may even have had enough Portta-Potties in the start area!

Overall, Chicago is one of my favorite races and should be on everyone’s race calendar at some point in their career. For those running the event, good luck and have a great time out there!

Elite Racing Preview
On September 12th, the Chicago Marathon released its list of elite male runners. There are some great names on the roster to be sure, but one was noticeably absent: last year’s winner and world marathon majors leader Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot. Cheruiyot wasn’t mentioned at all in the press release, which might suggest that he may be added at the last minute. UPDATE: Cheruiyot is now confirmed to run in the marathon!

Cheruiyot pulled off the incredible feat of winning both the 2006 Boston and Chicago Marathons and then repeated at the 2007 Boston Marathon. Why he would have been left out of the release is a bit of a mystery at the moment. Cheruiyot ran 2:07:35 to win the 2006 Chicago Marathon.

With the issue of Cheruiyot aside, some real heavy duty contenders return in both the men’s and women’s races. On the men’s side, Kenyans Evans Rutto and Felix Limo return to Chicago as past winners. Rutto won the race in 2003 and 2004, blistering the course in a near world record time of 2:05:50 in 2003. Rutto’s performance was a world record for a debut marathon. He returned in 2004, running another very fast time of 2:06:16. Limo won the race in 2005 running 2:07:02.

This year’s race also includes Korean Bong-ju Lee, Moroccan Jaouad Gharib and Kenyan Daniel Njenga Muturi who has finished in the top three in Chicago the last five years. Gharib shocked the world by smashing a 20-year-old IAAF World Championships record at the 2003 marathon (2:08:31). He returned to the championships in 2005 to reiterate his status, becoming only the second man in history to win two consecutive IAAF World Championships Marathons. With four sub-2:08 performances to his credit, Gharib will be a solid contender in Chicago.

Leading the charge in the women’s race is Austrailian record holder Benita Johnson. Johnson, 28, delivered her best marathon performance in less-than-ideal weather conditions in The 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, placing third and setting a new national record for Australia (2:22:36). Among other women to watch is American Kate O’neill making her marathon debut. While Chicago continues to draw a good contingent of strong racers, it seems that many of the marquis names in the sport are being diverted this year to the ING New York City Marathon.

Post-continues with my course preview and suggestions. Click here to continue.

Coach Joe

Running Wild is a free column from runners and triathletes with new content posted every day. Come on back and visit us often.

Running Wild with Coach Joe – a blog focused on marathon, triathlon and ultra-endurance racing, training and motivation. Bookmark us at http://distance-running.com or use your favorite RSS feed reader to get the latest news and articles. Running Wild is also now available on Facebook and My Space.