It was quite the early morning in my household for a Sunday today!
Last night, one of my best friends and her husbands came up for a quick visit. Her husband’s best friend was running the Chicago Marathon this morning, and they both wanted to be spectators! Seeing as I have only participated in races and never been on the other side, I invited myself along for the morning.
We got there bright and early around 7:00, about a half hour before the start time. With our obligatory Starbuck’s in hands, we made our way near the start line to see all of the runners go by.
Before the runners were let loose, the wheelchairs started around 7:20. At this point, Bestie and I both got a little teary eyed, thinking of how hard everyone must have worked to get to that point!
Although the weather called for above normal temperatures (imagine that — heat on the day of the Chicago Marathon?), it was a cool morning — in the mid to high 50’s when the race began. Needless to say, North Faces were needed this morning!
We were pretty happy with the spot we found to cheer right away, but all agreed it would have been fun to be on the overpass cheering everyone on and getting a bird’s eye view.
Once the runners began, it seemed like they NEVER stopped! All 42,000 runners made their way through the start line in between 7:30 and 8:30 this morning. It was amazing to see all the different people come by.
We kept an eye out for their friend, and sure enough, we saw him right when we got started. I knew a few other people who were running today, but didn’t see anyone I knew at this point!
Once the last wave of runners came through the start line, we headed over to another mile marker. We had to pass through Millennium Park to get there, so of course, we had to stop and take a picture by the Bean (which I still don’t understand after all these years).
The second stop we made was around mile 2. We ended up seeing the same people we saw at mile 1, but we still had fun cheering them on. After the last of the runners went through, we made a run across the street so we could head over to the halfway point!
We decided to park ourselves around the mile 12-13 marker to watch everyone come by. It wasn’t too long after we got there that we saw the first wave of runners begin to come through. Notice the time folks….
Are you for real? These runners were seriously amazing. It was inspiring to watch all of the pro’s whiz by as if this was a piece of cake. Honestly, I don’t even think half of them were sweating at this point!
I was starting to become an angry spectator the more time we spent in this spot. So many people were darting through the runners to try to cross the street. I don’t know about you, but i think this is a major spectator “no no”. If a runner has to stop for you, or better yet — if a runner trips and falls on top of you (YES, it happened!), then you obviously did NOT choose the right time to cross the street. Sometimes I think people need to use their brains.
When we were waiting at the halfway mark, I heard my name (first and maiden name) being screamed, looked, and realized it was one of the runners! One of my friends I swam with in high school saw me and was yelling “hi” to me — silly girl, didn’t she know I was supposed to be yelling to her? Nonetheless, I’m glad we “saw” each other — it’s been almost five years since we saw each other last!
I also made it my mission to capture all of the ridiculous get ups that were being sported during the race. In addition to a Minnie Mouse, a bunch of grapes (which I don’t get), and some girls in Tutu’s, I saw a Hawaiian man:
Someone with a creepy mask:
Waldo — to which I kept yelling “where’s waldo?” (of course!): 
and Cavemen! (so easy, a caveman could do it!)
I am so glad that I went to watch the Marathon this morning. To be perfectly honest with you, I have always said that I never wanted to run a marathon and that the distance just didn’t appeal to me. Buuuut… after seeing all those people accomplish 26.2 miles this morning, I would be lying if I said that running a marathon wasn’t now intriguing me. Just knowing I could say that I “ran a marathon” would be an absolutely amazing feeling. But, we’ll have to see how that one plays out, now won’t we? (Don’t you go shaking your head at me, Mom!)
To all who ran the marathon this morning, congratulations! You all did wonderfully!
Question: What is the longest distance you have run? If you have run a marathon, did it 100% completely take over your life while you trained?
{ 62 comments… read them below or add one }
omg i was there too girl
how fun!! glad you took some pictures! xo
I would TOTALLY run Chicago with you next year! I had 2 of my classmates compete this year and I stalked them on the live results page
ahhh i woul d love to do a marathon! today i did my first half marathon!! ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!
Wow! That looks like an awesome event! I have always heard about how large the Chicago marathon, but seeing pictures from the spectator’s point of view is unreal.
Oh, and after seeing Waldo, I may now be inspired to start marathon training.
So cool! I definitely hope to run a marathon one day! It would be such an incredible accomplishment!
Looks like so much fun, makes me miss home! After all the years I lived in Chicago, for some reason I never watched the marathon runners.
You’re so right, it’s really inspiring, though
Ohh how fun!! I ran the Chicago marathon in 2008 and it’s one of my favorites! I just ran the Twin Cities marathon (my 6th) last weekend but my favorite distance is the half marathon. It doesn’t take weeks to recover from like a full marathon!
I was talking to a fellow spectator who knew the grapes and said they are from Great Britian and it is some sort of inside joke thing.
Did you see the guy completely body painted in bright orange?! He was pretty hard to miss…
I can’t even imagine running a marathon in costume!
That must have been so much fun! The furthest I’ve run is a half.. I did my first one last weekend.. and I am doing another one next weekend. I loved it - and plan to hang around and cheer on some of the full marathoners next weekend!
I don’t know if I will ever attempt a full.. for the exact reason of how much time if would take up!
There’s no freakin’ way I’d run a marathon. But I’m envious of the people who do it
ahahahaha I <3 you.
“Once the runners began, it seemed like they NEVER stopped!” — I lived on the Chicago Marathon race course for a few years and yes, all 40k+ of them…never stop!
I have run a marathon, halves, and probably at least 200++ 5 and 10k’s. Back in the day, Scott and I used to do at least 2 races per month, some months, every Saturday, it was just our thing. Fun memories, wouldnt trade em for the world.
And yes, training can take over your life…but it never did for me. Honestly, I was always a “wing it’ runner. If you have a great race, great. If you dont, who cares. Try again later. No pressure. Go out and run for 2 hours and if you can finish in one piece, you can run a marathon… that’s about as detailed as I get
I first watched the Chicago marathon in high school and then and there said I wanted to run a marathon one day. I’ve now trained for 3 with my husband and though I wouldn’t want to go through that much of a time (and energy) commitment on my own, it’s a GREAT thing for us to do together and so amazing when we cross that finish line after knowing how much we encouraged each other over the past few months!
Wow, 42,000 people… that’s amazing!
I used to live near the route of the London Marathon and we used to watch every year… haven’t been for too long though.
I’m sure you’ll do it one day
ive ran chicago twice and it is SO much fun…the spectators really make it a great race!
I happily belong to the camp that doesn’t think running 26 miles in one day is appealing in the least bit. HOWEVER, I have the most amazing amount of respect and admiration for those who can and do accomplish such a task! I respect and admire them but don’t think that it’s for me.
You know that you have our support whatever you do, we just kind of like you! 
Kind of like I admire my friends in the military- If I put my mind to it, I could join them and be in the military but I don’t have the desire to accomplish something like this…. They love what they do and couldn’t imagine doing what I do (spend 9-10 hours a day teaching squirmy children): I love what I do and couldn’t imagine doing what they do. To each their own.
Waldo pretty much rocked my socks off- along with the Hawaiian guy!
Can you believe there was like 3-4 Waldo’s? It was hilarious!
The longest I have ever run is a 1/2 marathon. I love training for them. They aren’t time consuming, but fun, and always a good excuse to travel someplace fun.
I have no desire to run a full, but I torture myself other ways…like 100 mile bike rides. HA!
One of my life goals is to run a marathon one day
It seems insanely long but like it would be so much fun to finish! I’d be dead tired probably by the end haha.
My longest distance is 9 miles (1:40:16 which is like their half marathon time!). I did that distance yesterday morning too =D I’m training for a 10k right now.
Great job!
the marathon made me feel the same way today! My brother and sister in law had a good friend come into town and stay with them to run it this morning. I live up by mile markers 6 and then 9 (it looped around me) so it was fun to watch everyone run by! I actually finished my 7 mile run and then right then the elite runners came past. Made me feel a bit like a wimp…
okay, those elite runners were INSANE!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed being a spectator… I think the energy is completely contagious at those events! My longest run to date was last night… 7 miles!
On my way to 13.1 in Dec…
I just got home from running the Portland Marathon this morning.
It is INSANE how fast those winning people are!! I think most of them just don’t work and devote all their timing to becoming elite.
I’ve run a half marathon, and I signed up to run a marathon that I’m not running. I haven’t felt like running since the half, but I always see things like this and get inspired! I’m running a super fun 10K tomorrow so hopefully that’ll get me back in the spirit. Maybe someday I’ll do a full!
I am NOT a long-distance runner. I’ve done a lot of 5Ks and earlier this year I did the Vancouver Sun Run, which is a huge 10K event that brings people from all over. It was pretty easy because of all of the people and distractions - I barely noticed it, but I know if I ran 10K on my own I would not be so lucky. I am not in your league running-wise!
If I really worked on training hard I think I could see that after some hard work I may be able to do a half-marathon, but a full marathon just sounds impossible. A few summers ago I went to watch the Ironman in Penticton, BC. These people swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and then run a marathon at the end of it! And it was 90 degrees that day. I couldn’t get over it - there was even a 75-year-old nun who finished it! In awe.
I am proud to say that I have completed a 1/2 marathon. I am sad to say that it was 4 years ago and I haven’t done another since. Some day… soon!
And it did consume my life, as much as it could while also finishing up graduate school and looking for my first full-time job. I am happy to say that all three of those things turned out well and I lost 25 pounds in the process. YAY!
Oh my goodness, I cannot believe that someone would WALK across people running in the marathon. That is just stupid! I mean, seriously!?
I would love to watch one of the big marathons one day- like Chicago or Boston..or maybe even run in one eventually- now that would be awesome
How fun! I would have been so entertained with all of those costumes!
I’ve run a couple of marathons and yes, the training took over my life 100% percent. I don’t think I’ll run another one unless I have some major motivation one day. I can’t imagine having kiddos and training for a marathon - between work and running, I was NEVER at home when I trained. I’m glad I did it when I had more time on my hands!
Longest race= Half marathon
Longest distance run= 15 miles
I’m kinda in the same boat. I love half marathon distance, but am curious about the full marathon challenge. I think the training would be similar to half training, except for long runs. Long runs would, of course, build further than the 13.1. My sister has completed quite a few and she runs 3 times a week and cross trains the other days. It is very doable, from those I’ve seen train around me, to work marathon training into your life without it totally consuming it. I’m on the fence, and trying to decide for myself too.
We were there today too!
I’ve run the Chicago Marathon and it is the absolute best. The weekday training isn’t really too much more than a half. Yes, the weekend runs get pretty darn long, but it only takes over your life if you let it.
It’s completely rewarding.
I figured it was only the weekend training that would be remotely bad. I think it’s doable!
these runners are amazing! so inspiring . . . especially the ones in hula skirts! that certainly brought an unexpected flair of fashion to the event, i’m sure!
running reminds me of my unhealthy years, so i steer clear of it. but, i would frequently run nine miles for one workout during those days. i never ran a marathon nor will i unless it’s to support a cause that requires my participation.
now, it’s daily power vinyasa yoga yoga, daily hiking with my dog, and once weekly long distance bicycle rides for physical fitness activity.
thanks for a lovely post! my sister lives in chicago, so i recognise all of those spots from my past visits. xx
WHAT A BLAST!!! I would have loved being there with you. I really enjoy spectating and those pros are INCREDIBLE!
My friends just ran the Denver Rock n Roll half today. I’m seriously thinking about signing up for the Arizona one on Jan 15th next year. I’ve been considering training for a half for a while now and the RnR series just seem so fun
As much as I would love to say “I ran a marathon” I really don’t think I could run for that long - even if someone chased me for all 26.2 miles!
haha! Halves are so much fun - it’s a great distance!
I remember feeling the exact same way after watching the NYC marathon on TV last year. Yeah, that passed.
The longest distance I’ve ever run is 7 miles. I can’t imagine doing a marathon, much less doing it in a costume!
I’ve completed 2 half marathons and those were each my farthest. Is love to run a full. Maybe next year!
I have a half next weekend and am training for a full in December - 18 miles today! I thought the same thing; it just wasn’t for me. Then in my last half i saw all of the 26.2 finishers and felt so inspired, so I signed up the next day before all of the confidence faded. I think you could totally do it! This is my first full, and each long run I feel like I won’t be able to finish… then I do… on pace with my goal time… and I can’t help but think “Holy , I just ran 18miles!” I’m getting super nervous, yet excited for December 4th to get here.
Thanks for the words of encouragement, Kristen!
I’ve done the Chicago and 2 other marathons before. It can take over your life if you let it, although this past round of marathon training this summer I chose to adapt my own training schedule off of some of the standard training plans out there. I did a more minimal training approach and met reasonable goals. However, I did this more minimal approach because there are non-negotiables (work is crazy, planning a wedding) in my life that I couldn’t “dial down” if I wanted to “dial up” the marathon training to what is standardly planned.
I think that you have to make training your own! Sometimes those training plans don’t take into account busy schedules!
Hmm. I love a challenge and would love to conquer that 26.2 miler! Buuuut I’m just not sure if that would be enjoyable for me personally. The farthest I’ve run is a 10K. Love those!
i’ve run the chicago marathon twice and the toughest part has been the weather. one year it was OUT OF CONTROL hot, and the next, freezing rain. so hard to plan for, but crossing that finish line is like nothing else in the world.
The year one of my friends ran it they had to stop everyone from running at the 23rd mile because of the heat advisory!!
that’s the year i ran it as well! 2007 i think? i literally dodged cops who were trying to stop me about 300 feet from the finish line. it was insane.
yeah, taht was the year - it was insane!
That would be so much fun to go cheer on the runners at a marathon! I think being a spectator is as close as I’m going to get to a marathon for now though… the farthest I’ve ever run is 6.25 miles and I found that super long… I can’t imagine running more than 4x that!!!
Ahhh that looks so fun! I really want to run Chicago at some point! Today I ran my second half marathon.. the Denver Rock n Roll, I got a pb and did negative splits which doesn’t always happen in long runs!! I am trying to decide whether or not I want to pursue a full!
woohoo! congrats!
I love the where’s waldo!! That is hilarious. I want to run a marathon just to say I did it
I think it would probably be crazy during the run but it seems SO exciting that I don’t think 26.2 miles would be half bad with all the adrenaline I’d have to finish!
i love all the crazy costumes!! haha. the furthest i’ve ran in a race was a 10k and my next goal is a 1/2 marathon !!
This is the first year that I’ve lived in Chicago that I wasn’t able to make it to the race
Majorly bummed out about it, especially b/c I was supposed to be running it this year. An ankle injury & a military deployment kept that from happening. There’s always next year! The thought of participating in a marathon never even crossed my mind until I first watched the Chicago Marathon. It was so inspiring and it gave me the chills! I’ve done a handful of 1/2′s so I’m hoping that next year will be my year! We’ll see…hopefully I won’t chicken out!
I’m sorry you had to miss it due to your ankle and deployment!
Wow what a day- being at the marathon must have been so inspiring! i bet you were craving to run during/afterwards! Longest I have run to date is 15km (just under 10 miles) but that was like 2 years ago- I just ran an 8-miler this morning and am trying to build up to 10 miles. Once that’s done, I’m so ready to tackle the half marathon distance!
I just ran my first marathon last weekend. And while training and recovering from training did take up a lot of time, it was no different than figuring out how to squeeze my workout in everyday. It just took longer sometimes. While training I moved across the country, started a new job and was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. And while I wont say it was easy, because it took dedication, hard work and a whole lot of patience, it was definitely possible to run a marathon without it taking over my life. In fact, 1 week later and I’m kind of missing that marathon routine…I say you should go for it Chelsey!
When I ran my first half marathon, there was a man in a chicken costume that finished a few mins before me. So my husband has pictures of him crossing the finish line. I joke that it’s a good thing I didn’t finish a few minutes earlier, or the chicken mighta trumped me!
My longest distance is 13.1, it’s my goal to tackle the big 26.2 next spring though! Glad you had fun being a spectator, I need to try that out sometime!
I’ve never been a race spectator, but love all the outfits!
I ran Chicago on Sunday!! I loved reading posts about being a spectator. I totally agree with you about people crossing the street in front of the runners. I understand that it’s pretty impossible to walk around with all of the runners, but people were so clueless about it! I almost ran into people multiple times who would dart in front of me when I was running. So annoying!