As a 2021 alum/survivor, I am incredibly jealous of the weather forecast this year. Gonna be some fast times. These are great tips. That quiet stretch with the Sears Tower way in the distance is really memorable to me as the true "doldrums" of the race. Saw a lot of people giving up there with the sun blasting in our faces and the temperature climbing up toward the high 70s. It's brutal. Don't give up, the crowds get great again down the last 10K! Oh and I did have a tip for Mount Roosevelt: buddy up with someone/make friends with a stranger when you turn. I was hurting, but me and this guy turned to each other and all we could do was laugh, and now I look back at that hill as my favorite part of the race, like a sadistic hilarious joke at the end.
What hill? Thee was one slight hill at the end. I do feel bad for people who did it last year in the heat, though. But this was the flattest marathon I've done by far. It is designed for PR (dependent on weather).
"Mount Roosevelt", love it! This will be my fifth, too, and some advice I have is to be skeptical of GPS through _most_ of the race. It'll kick in and out at the weirdest times, even outside of that starting area. Also, especially if you're a more novice runner, be _very_ careful of the starting adrenaline. After standing around for a few hours, you hit that starting line, and your body just wants to _go_ and most of the people around you will also be going out too fast. Combine that with not getting good GPS pace, it's easy to end up five or so miles in, finding out you've been going _way_ too hard, your original goal pace is starting to feel like a huge chore, and with 20+ miles to go, it's going to get really painful before the end. My advice is to know what your heart rate should be, and stick to it, no matter what, even if all the people are passing you by in the beginning. At Mile 20, your body will thank you (and you'll pass all those other people then as a bonus).
This is gonna be my 3rd major in 15 days!! Can’t wait for the windy city!! I am 200% less anxious now, thank you thank you!!! 🤣 Biggest fan from Taiwan 😎
Longtime Chicagoan here. This will be my seventh time running the race, 27 years of living and 20 years biking in the city. Biking in the city is very dangerous, especially since 2020. Walk but be wary of the area or Go to the expo on Thursday! (which is new!) The brown line is the safest train and you can take the King Bus (3) to the expo just a minute away from the Adams and Wabash stop. Boystown (Northside off Broadway) is a blast, dont let it take you off pace! Motivate others right before you enter Chinatown (mentioned already) and right after as those are dead spots till Michigan. Note for tourists/post race ideas; the best Chicago junk food ala hotdogs/burgers/pizza arent in the city they are in the outskirts ala Johnnies Beef, Gene and Judes, Boba Burger, Freddy's Pizza, Vito and Nicks, and Superdawg (barely in ala Norwood Park.) Do not fall for the "downtown classics", they aren't as good as they used to be and are overrated.
Thank you so much for the tips, especially the last part! I wish they had those signs for all the big marathons, so that I know when to push myself for the last .1 mile or so. Another tip I know is following the blue dashed line to avoid extra distance during the race.
The New York City Marathon has signs to let you know when to push yourself for the finish of the race. The New York City Marathon has a sign for "1 mile to go," then signs for 800 meters, 400 meters, and 200 meters. Very helpful for pacing your last mile.
Excellent video Kofuzi, good luck in the marathon next weekend, just wondering what’s your peck Race goals, since you’ve already done the sub 3 hour marathon? Cool 😀🥳🍀🌲🏃🏽♂️✅👍🏼
Hey Kofuzi. Running the Chicago Marathon for the first time. Unfortunately I’m not racing as I have just ran London and finished the in a Sub 3 of 2:54:49. Wondered what is the best way of getting into Chicago from the Airport, I’m flying into O’hare. I’m also running the 5K with my two sons, is there any good point on this that you could share. Also just anything on general transport would also be good. Thanks Nick.
The thing I'm going to hate the most about getting in the corral too early is having to use a porto for the second time when it starts to get packed in. Is the Chicago gear worth buying at the expo?
some people might not want to bike the day before a marathon and think that the el might be an easier option, but depending on how far you have to walk to get to the train from where you are staying, it really could be the less strenuous option.
@@kofuzii would be in center of city (W Adams and S Clark st corner) and want to take Divvy to expo; which avenue/street is best to ride to expo? i try to research it, of course, but nothing is precise
Thank you for the useful tips. I'll be running the Chicago Marathon for the very first time this year, coming from the UK. As you've run it many times, can I ask whether you were filming on your GoPro during the race? I've read everywhere that you're not allowed video cameras, but I really want to take my GoPro to film this special day. I'm worried they won't allow me to even have the GoPro on me. I wouldn't want to leave it in my drop bags. TIA!
Thank you for this video! This will be my first marathon and I'm very excited, but also nervous. I wanted to go big my first time and I'm running for a charity that means a lot to me so it's even better. I am staying in China town and thinking it would be easiest to get down to the park by taking the train the morning of the marathon. Do you think this should work or should I try to take uber?
*Chicago Resident Here* I would take the train and just leave about 20-30 minutes earlier than you would think. A big stretch of Michigan Ave is closed on race morning so it will be tough for an Uber to get you close not to mention it'll be pricey.
Hello Kofuzi. Loved your tips on the Chicago Marathon. I'm planning to run it this year and will implement a lot of them. One question I had which I couldn't find any answers to is, when you pass through security for the race, do they check your pockets? I mean if you are carrying - gels, nutrition, wallet, keys, etc. - do they need you to empty your pockets out as you are going through security or not necessarily? Also, you recommend using the bike to travel around the downtown? Did you use this exclusively to travel say from your hotel to the expo and also to your shakeout run, etc? How did you travel from the L train to your hotel. Did you uber or walk? Also, I'd love to join up with your followers at the expo and shakeout run if you plan to run Chicago this year (2024). That would be awesome! 👍 Thanks again!
you may get a pat down. in my opinion, well executed security changes depending on the circumstances. it may become more strict depending on risk assessment level. it may be more lenient depending on risk assessment level (or lack of risk). be prepared for security. be patient. budget extra time.
Thanks for the tips! In this years guide it says no selfie sticks, camera mounts or video recorders, but I see you and many other people film the race. Can I wear a clip on my cap and put the Insta 360 go in it to record my race?
Kofuzi thanks so much for this video and I’ll definitely be watching it again ( many times ) when I get to Chicago but before then I have to complete my first marathon of the week which is navigating my through all the bureaucracy required to actually get into the USA these days !! 🤦♂️ thanks and wish me luck! Ian 🇬🇧
2022 will be my 10th Chicago marathon and there were a few items even I'll take away. Great tips and great video! For the expo, I 'm cheap and usually take the Redline to the Cermak/Chinatown stop and take the Cermak bus (#21) which stops right by both the and Greenline Cermak/McCormick Place stop and heads directly to the expo (McCormick Place). I may end up just grabbing a Divvy bike though if I don't see a bus per your suggestion. On race day, for those taking the 'el', it's helpful to be aware that there are multiple 'el' stops near the race start. So, the best stop to get off for you will depend on your preferred entrance gate/start wave. None of the stops in the loop will be too far, but if you want to cut down on your pre-race walk, it's worth considering. The leaves are just starting to turn. Gonna be a beauty this year!
Regarding travelling to and from the expo: as you mentioned, taking the subway does involve a long-ish walk from the station to the hall, but once there I noticed that Nike had organised a shuttle bus back to downtown, which stopped right in front of their flagship store. All you had to do was install the app on your phone to get on board. So I did that, and not only did I get a free ride back to the city, I also got some free food and Nike swag once on the bus! They had MCs on board and did some entertainment and Q&A for the duration of the ride, it was interesting. No, I don't work for Nike haha, but I do recommend this as a great way to get back to town (if they are indeed doing the same thing this year).
Kofuzi, why didn't you tell people to take the bus from the train to get to the Chicago Marathon expo? That's what I did, to avoid too much walking. Train, to bus, to bus stop across the street from McCormick Place.
Haven’t broken that marathon seal yet, just keep having problems that stem from my lower back and really fire up my IT band. Hope to get that resolved so I can take that next step.
Mike, I trained to run with the 3:05 pacer but they put me in corral D and I couldn't request a corral change because I haven't done a marathon in more than 2 years. Do you think I can find a 3:05 pacer two corrals back? I feel like it's too far back to find one.
I think that might be a bit far back. I'd try to get to the corral early so you can be as close to the front of corral D as possible. but I'm not sure if you will be able to see the 305 group from there
Yes! Best tip is to stay calm! Lol, it’s gonna be tough to stay calm this year with the weather being almost perfect 😬 can’t wait! Good luck to everyone running and thanks to everyone else out there supporting/volunteering 🫡👏🏽
Thanks for the tips! Running the 2024 Chicago marathon - so excited! Is it worth doing the Abbot 5K the day before or is it best to have an easy shakeout run instead?
Hi! Thank you for your video! One question, are there shower facilities for taking a shower after the race? I am running chicago for the first time now in october 😁
there are a lot of options depending on price and location. If you've got family, look for the embassy suites. if you want to be in the middle of it all, Palmer House Hilton, or Chicago Athletic Association. Chicago is a convention city. many hotels
I'm looking forward to my first Chicago, a little underprepared but going anyway. What advice do you have for someone coming from out of town for food and restaurants, to get a good pre marathon meal?
Oh the SWEARS i've SWORN going up "Mount Roosevelt" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 NSFW.. but the absolute elation when turning on to Columbus and seeing that finish line is *chefs kiss* GOOD LUCK TO ALL YOU RUNNERS!!!!!!
I walked 3 miles from downtown and back . . .should have taken the train there. 😂. As an outsider, I also noticed Chicago uses arrows differently than most of the world.
Those Divvy bikes weigh 100 pounds!!! OK, actually only 40, but I don’t ride much so riding more than a few miles stresses muscles that don’t usually get stressed.
This was so helpful!! Quick. Question - plan to go to expo on 6th and plan on driving with the fam … how far is the walk specifically from parking lot A to the main building??
Great tips Mike. I wished that I had seen this video before race day LOL! I walked over 20K all over Chicago and to the Expo. My legs were so tired the next day. It was my first Chicago Marathon and enjoyed the course and city very much. Love your channel man. Keep up the great work! 😊👍🏻💯
You forgot the most important tip: don't accept the free shots of Malort offered on the course. Or maybe go ahead and accept them...but remember you were warned!
Yeah, it's best to come to terms with the fact that you're going to be on your own for the couple of hours before the race. If it's like in previous years, you're going through security before going over bridges over train tracks before getting to the gear checks and corrals, so you can't even really hang out with them being on the other side of a fence.
As always, awesome video! I was surprised by the biking to the expo tip, I hadn't thought of Chicago being all that bicycle friendly, but I suspect like every other major city, great strides have been made to preserve the environment. Looking forward to my third Chicago!
The tips really helps me… This is my first marathon….so excited and nervous as well…what makes me nervous is the weather…I’m from Indonesia, we only have rainy and hot season and high humidity
if you don't need to drop a bag at gear check, can you go strait to your corral (B) and come -much- later ? thanks ! Also, is the 5K crowded and is it needed to come real early also ?
