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Chicago Marathon 2007

It was not easy, but I made it to the finish line on Sunday completing my fourth Chicago Marathon, and this one was the most difficult physical challenge that I've ever endured.

If you haven't already heard, we had record-setting heat on race day this year. The temperature was close to 90 degrees, and the humidity was incredibly high too. This is a bad combination to have when you're staring down the starting line of a 26.2 mile challenge.

I started with my pace group -- a predicted 4 hour finish time -- but I quickly decided that there was NO WAY that I was going to hold my normal pace. I began slowing down gradually about 3 miles into the race. I fast realized that this race was not going to be about speed, but rather it was going to be about running smart -- using my head and listening to my body. I trained very hard this year and am in great shape, but I also worked hard this year on listening to my body and being aware of how hard I'm pushing at any given time. This really helped me during the race.

By the time I first saw Nora around the 12 mile mark, I stopped and told her that I was doing ok but I was really feeling the effects of the heat. While I ate the fruit that she gave me, she told me to be careful and I assured her that I would. I left her and continued on my way. It wasn't but a few minutes later that I saw the first of many people being wheeled away on a stretcher.

As the race progressed, the heat continued to climb. Heading west after the halfway point was not fun. There is practically no shade there, and I could see the heat taking a toll on many runners. I kept going at a moderate pace, and when I began to feel too weak or too hot, I would slow to a walk. By the time I was heading south on Ashland towards Pilsen, it was a common sight for me to see people on stretchers, people sitting on the sidewalk or street hooked up to IVs, medic tents overflowing with people at every aid station...

As I approached Chinatown, I started seeing firefighters opening up hydrants and having them spray all the runners. They also began yelling over a bullhorn that the race had been cancelled due to the severe heat. This only resulted in a lot of very confused runners. To make a long story short, everyone continued going forward on the course, but the police, firefighters and volunteers were telling everyone to please stop running. They kept telling us to just walk the course to the finish line because there were no more available ambulances. I was perfectly content to walk because yes, it was extraordinarily hot and I wasn't out to break any set time -- I was simply trying to finish, safely.

As I walked north on Michigan Avenue, a police helicopter was buzzing low overhead with the speakers blaring "The race has ended. Please stop running!!!" I was walking next to a group of three men from Brazil and they laughed that while Brazil may be hot, it's not humid like this. They kept walking, and so did I and everyone else around me...all the way to Roosevelt Rd. There we turned the corner, climbed the hill and turned left onto Columbus and into the chute that heads towards the finish line. It was right about there that everyone began leisurely jogging once again. I crossed the finish line with a time of 5:24:10 -- more than an hour slower than I had been planning on running, but all things considered, I was perfectly happy.

I now have one more marathon medal to add to the collection, along with an incredible story.

All photos taken by Nora.