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By now you've heard about the hottest ever Chicago Marathon, yesterday’s brutal event that claimed one life, brought ambulances to more than 300, and overwhelmed race organizers and emergency personnel. The initial stories about the fatality and the difficult decision to cut the race short, dashing the hopes of thousands of first-timers, have overshadowed the larger story about race organizers failing their own endurance test.
Shrugging off the 2007 race as a once-in-a-lifetime snafu obscures the need to improve a celebration that quickly turned nightmarish. Here’s where to start:
Move the date back. Moving the race from mid- to early-October didn’t work out. Summer’s barely over and hot temps in October aren’t a complete surprise. Next year's is a week later (October 12), a good start.
Open registration in late spring and limit the field. 2007 registration opened in January, when most of us have no clue whether we can spend all summer training. But by May or June, runners can enter with confidence, not on a whim. Organizers cited this year’s field at 45,000, bigger than New York's (38,000+) and London’s (36,000+)—and those are larger cities with more resources. Offer quality over quantity and cap the field at 30,000.
Bring more hoses. Running out of water at Mile 8 is an embarrassment. The most efficient water stations we've seen use tap water stored in buckets and drawn from garden hoses to fill a hundred or more cups per second. Ice Mountain is not much better, and thirsty runners barely know the difference.
Offer refunds. Next time "red flag" conditions are forecasted by Friday (and there will be a next time), offer refunds to all entrants with medical conditions or an expected 5+ hour finish time who agree to withdraw. Field those requests online and at the pre-race Expo. Serving tens of thousands in record heat is a huge challenge for even the most organized cities. Chicago was clearly not up to the job. Admit that up front and give people their $110 back. What organizers lose in registration fees is less than what they’ll save in court costs.
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add to that - allow people to finish, untimed, if they want to.
The entry fees are needed to clean up all that crap just thrown into the street. WTF?
To many people who aren't in shape to run a marathons do it anyway. 88 degrees is hot, but if you trained properly you should be able to handle it.
Instead of blaming race officials, a lot of people need to admit that they were not properly prepared to run this marathon. The course was shutdown after four hours and many many people had not made it to the 13 mile mark! That means those people were on pace for an 8+ hour marathon. None of those people should have been out there. It is supposed to be a race - not a stroll in the park.
For people who trained properly, the race went just fine (if a little slowly due to the heat) and there was plenty of water.
Moving the date back is a viable option.
Limiting Registration to 30,000 might also be a good idea.
everything else... I strongly disagree with...
I really don't think the date of the marathon had anything to do with it, insomuch as no one expects it to be 90 fucking degrees in the beginning of October. Next year it could be 20º on the same weekend, you never really know.
This post should be titled 'monday morning race-backing'.
Only if LaSalle bank knew Chicago had such a wise soul in their midst, this crazy fiasco would never have happened. Instead we are now stuck with people giving prophetic suggestions on how not to have this happen again, like this post.
No shit, moving the date up didn't work? Oh, whats that...we need more water next time?? Oh, Ok...the field felt to crowded for you?
How about people learn to stop running when they feel like they are going to pass out?? Then we wouldn't have to listen to people like this act like self rightous do-gooders.
FYI - The race last year was on Oct. 22.
In 2005 it was Oct. 9th.
There doesn't seem to be a consistent date.
I'm getting a good laugh at all the cowards who would never have the guts to train for and run in a marathon having the nerve to insinuate that these athletes are to blame because race organizers fucked up during the hottest Chicago marathon on record.
People die during marathons every year. It is usually because of latent heart conditons. Price of doing business.
...marathoners are dicks.
*Full disclosure: Jake M is a chubby 22 year old who excells at golf and slow-pitch softball. *
He also excels at catching his typos too late.
I don't think moving the marathon back a few weeks will make a difference. First of all, the average daily high for October 1-15 is between 65-71 degrees, so moving it back a few weeks is unlikely to change the weather conditions. Furthermore, even on October 31, there have been record highs set (84 degrees in 1950), so really, is a few weeks back going to make that much of a diffence in Chicago? I doubt it. If you move it back, you risk snow, frost and cold temperatures. It's a crap shoot.
Keep in mind that yesterday was not the only marathon in the heat. Milwaukee had a marathon yesterday as well and had a few issues due to the heat (4 people hospitalized out of 2500). Milwaukee had far less people sick as a result of the heat than Chicago (granted, it was a bit less humid in Milwaukee). But, if there were similar temps, why did Chicago have so many problems?
I think that registration needs to start later, and they should limit the entries. People also need to remember that there are risks to running a marathon. Runners need to recognize the toll that a 26 mile race takes on your heart, joints and other organs. How many of these runners actually get a doctor's clearance for running? How many even let their doctors know? I applaud the people who want to go out and run a marathon, but one needs to have common sense and know their limitations.
Don't you just love weekend athletes engaging in serious and professional sports?
I work out daily and still don't think I would be prepared for a marathon because I have never run 26 miles in one day.
Guest #8:
I run/work out nearly every day, just ran a short race last week, and I run for fun.
That said, I could never run a marathon. A few years ago, I started training and the most my body would let me run/walk at one time was 8 miles.
So don't call me a coward. I know my limitations.
What about all of those people who don't seriously train for a marathon? How many of those were among the thousands on Sunday? How many of those slacked off? How many didn't check with their doctor to see if they had a heart condition, for example?
And, if you are a serious runner, and you stop sweating, start vomiting, your kidneys shut down and you have the shakes, wouldn't that give a person a clue that, well, perhaps they shouldn't continue?
Yes, there were problems with the race (I was a volunteer in the past, I know how is works). But, a coward is a person that cannot admit they have limitations.
guest # 8...
I FULLY agree with you...100%. Well said.
I am amazed that folks will follow an 8 week training program they read in FITNESS MAGAZINE & then jump into a marathon.
When you "wog" at a 12:00 minute pace, please...stay home & consider a new sport...
Chicago Marathon Registration.....150.00
New pair of running shoes............135.00
Crapping yourself for all to see.....Priceless.
the chicago milwaukee comparison seems convenient but is lame. milwaukee had 1,671 finishers. the logistics are not even close.
the best and most unrealistic suggestion is to limit registration. new york city marathon is bigger than chicago but it is limited by qualifying times of demonstrated preparedness. even if chicago required runners to do a 1/2 marathon in under 3 hrs, i bet it would deter 10-15k of the runners who come, take up space and resources, and drag down the event.
it's unrealistic because somehow people feel 'entitled' to 'participate' - not run, because so many don't run - and because the city and marathon organizers love the cash.
Guest 16, I am not comparing the two by numbers, I am comparing by proportion. I am simply saying that heat was a factor in other marathons this past weekend, and yet there are proportionately less people that had "weather-related" issues in Milwaukee than in the Chicago marathon. (4/1671 vs 312/approx 24,000 finishers). Logistics was one reason, a breakdown of something was another. If you read my post, you'll find that you reiterated my lame point.
They also need to start the race earlier - probably 7am, to give runners more time in cooler temps. I participated yesterday and knew my limits, which is why I took some time to walk. Unfortunately, we were one of the first to be cut off and rerouted to the finish line. They had already run out of water at the 2nd water station (around Mile 4) and had nothing available until Mile 6.
...to change my message. They had nothing until Mile 8.
First off, great job to anyone that completed the full marathon this weekend or completed the most officials would allow you to complete without being told that if you passed out the marathon would not be held responsible from that point on. Sadly, the attitude of many on Chicagoist is negative and infuriating, so I'm just going to address some specific comments. I usually let things go, but since I sweat my butt off for about 14 miles or so, I feel I have every right to address some things that have been said...
Btw, Just to throw all my facts on the table...
-I did run this past weekend, and was warned by police about the 2 hour wait for an ambulance and that the course was being shut down just past 13 miles. I walked back from that point to the finish line, and got my medal for a very tough run. I'm sad I didn't get to finish or at least run past my farthest run (20 miles), but finishing wasn't worth a trip to the hospital.
-I did train for a little over 5 months. I consulted numerous training programs, and picked out one that was right for me.
-My longest run was 20 miles, so I wasn't someone who ran 8 miles and then just decided to do this thing. I felt fine after my 20 miles, but I ran it in much cooler weather and did have more hydration available to me.
-I told my doctor before I decided to sign up, and kept in contact with him on my training during the entire process. I also consulted two coaches and numerous marathon runners throughout my training.
-My pace was in the 15:50-16:10 per mile. I weigh 297 lbs when I started training. I weighed as of race day 273. So yeah, I was that fat girl in the back trucking along slowly that many of you "elite runners" gave dirty looks to and scoffed at.
-I will be running next year, and will be completing numerous half marathons and larger races this next year.
GUEST 1:
"To many people who aren't in shape to run a marathons do it anyway. 88 degrees is hot, but if you trained properly you should be able to handle it."
-ACTUALLY, this is not all true. My dad trained properly in hotter temperatures, but because two aid stations were out and he did not receive any liquids until past mile 5, it really made him dehydrated and killed his pace. The first two aid stations he passed were out, and he was with the 5:30 pace groups. He finally gave up when the police told him around mile 17 that if he was to have any problems and collapse past that point, the wait for an ambulance would be 2 hours. He didn't want to risk it. He was afraid that other stations ahead would have no hydration. He said if he had a promise of liquids ahead, he would have been able to finish it, but he didn't want to risk his life and knew when it was time to stop.
"Instead of blaming race officials, a lot of people need to admit that they were not properly prepared to run this marathon. The course was shutdown after four hours and many many people had not made it to the 13 mile mark! That means those people were on pace for an 8+ hour marathon. None of those people should have been out there. It is supposed to be a race - not a stroll in the park."
- Hmm, I was one of those people who was hovering around that 8+hour at the 13.1 mile mark, and let me tell you I was not strolling in the park. I did the marathon to make me care and work on my health, to inspire me to keep living an active lifestyle and get healthy. I consulted my doctor before and during my 5+ months of training, had aid from two coaches that have trained numerous marathoners, and followed a very detailed training schedule. You may consider it a race, but I don't. I know I will never beat the amazing athletes whose steps I run in, but rather the marathon to me is a test of endurance. I had every right to be out there after all the hard work I put into this, and I'm very proud of how far I got.
JAKE M:
"...marathoners are dicks.
*Full disclosure: Jake M is a chubby 22 year old who excells at golf and slow-pitch softball. *"
...People who call other people dicks are really lame. You sound juvenile. *Full disclosure: Lisa is a chubby 22 year old who has been running for months now, will continue to run, and will continue to loose weight and feel great about the things she accomplishes by completing numerous other marathons. She will no longer have to fully disclose that she is chubby (as in your case) anymore in life, because of all the calories she will burn from training and running marathons. Best of luck with your golf and slow-pitch my chubby Chicagoist friend!
GUEST 15:
"I am amazed that folks will follow an 8 week training program they read in FITNESS MAGAZINE & then jump into a marathon.
When you "wog" at a 12:00 minute pace, please...stay home & consider a new sport...
Chicago Marathon Registration.....150.00
New pair of running shoes............135.00
Crapping yourself for all to see.....Priceless."
Ah. Always classy to throw out a crapping yourself comment. I did "wog" at a worse pace than 12:00, but I will never stay home, and I will never stop doing a sport that inspires me so much. Every obstacle and run I've had during training and during this weekend were worth every penny I spent. So until I loose some more weight and my pace improves, I'll be that fat chick way behind you while you run. I'll never be back at home, so deal with it.
You know, I feel a lot better actually. I spent a lot of training and some of this past weekend getting really funny looks from some really mean looking runners, so it felt good to get out the "I have as much right as you do to be here" rant. So deal with it. People will continue to run marathons for other reasons besides it being a race for people who consider themselves serious runners. There will always be people who run in memory of family members they lost, people who will run to overcome something in their life, and people (as in my case) who run in order to wake themselves up and save themselves from a life of poor health. Until Chicago makes you have a qualifying time to enter, the Chicago Marathon will always be a mixture of elite athletes and hard working motivated people who are giving it their all, even if they've fallen past the 6.5 hours to complete the race that the marathon request of participants. If they pay the money for the bib number, and train, they have as much right to run as the winner. That's the awesome thing about the marathon.
So, see you all on the lake front trail. I'll be the fat girl (not for much longer though) with a giant smile on her face that just screams "watch out, here I come."
Bravo to the last commenter on striving to lead a healthier life...but a marathon is not a place for anybody and everybody. I'm not talking about fat people, because the poor fellow that passed away looked rather thin and healthy.
I feel for the people that did not finish, and for those feeling the ill effects right now (my stomach certainly doesn't feel all too well, nor is my toilet looking healthy), but everyone knows a marathon is a grueling, potentially dangerous thing to do. To blame the race organizers for any ill effects of bad turn of events is disingenous. (why not blame them for failing to fix the pot holes, while you're at it? I'm sure there have to be some sprained ankles from running down Cermak, or for that matter the bannana peels on 18th street--what a dumb idea to hand out thousands of unpeeled bananas at a marathon!)
I don't blame the race organizers for anything. They prepared as much as they could have. We all saw the 'heat advisory' flyer handed out at McCormick Place. If they had been giving out gallons of water, runners would have taken them and dumped it over their heads. I know I would have! And if they limited the water to the faster runners in order to save some for the slowers runners, any ill effects the former would have felt would have been blamed on them. The organizers would be damned either way.
The fact is, mother nature kicked our collective asses this weekend. This is one of those times where the only way anything bad could have been prevented would have been to cancel the event before it began, and issue full refunds. That way, everyone would be equally pissed off.
Moving the date wouldn't matter: last year was too cold to be ideal, this year way too hot. Limiting the registration wouldn't prevent jackasses that don't train from joining...it might even encourage more people to run without registering, thus causing worse preparation. Moving the registration date later shouldn't change anything. Adults should be able to plan ahead, and if not, decide not to run when they realize it would be life-threatening to do so.
We're not talking about Hurricane Katrina here, people. The race organizers did the best they could. Even as the police helicopters flew overhead, telling people to stop running, they still did. Maybe we should hold the police responsible for not shooting them when they failed to disobey orders.
Guest 21, I totally agree that Mother Nature just kicked our asses this weekend. I'm sad and a mostly frustrated with myself that I didn't get to finish, but I know there will be next year.
You just win some, and you loose some. So it goes.
I don't blame the organizers either. I had a great first few miles, and the thrill from crossing the starting line was enough to keep me coming back next year. The whole aid thing with my father was just information he provided me.
But all the talks of lawsuits? And all the anger on the marathon forum? Stuff is crazy. Just accept what happened this weekend, move on, keep training, and come back and conquer it next year.
See you next year!
Lisa,
That's great to hear that you did things right (training properly and getting MD clearance)...hopefully next year, the weather will allow you to finish (I know you would have if the heat didn't stop you).
Congrats on your weight loss as well!
I just spoke to my colleague, who was well prepared and finished the race an hour and 20 minutes slower than he would have in normal conditions, but still a decent time. He says he thinks the organizers could have headed off some of the problems and should not have run out of water. There was plenty of time to contact other marathon organizers--he mentioned Honolulu--and find out what they do in hotter conditions. Honolulu starts their race at 5 a.m.
Some of Sunday's problems were inevitable, people were going to faint and medical personnel were going to be very busy. Kudos again to the runners who finished the full race or the 19-mile route, just standing on the corner spraying runners was tiring.
I sympathize with the race organizers since these conditions were their nightmare too. But I hold them responsible for the water station fiasco. We knew since Wed or Thurs it would be hot. Double your supplies, bring in the hoses (see point #3 in my post). If you have an exclusive contract with Poland Springs or Culligan or whoever, call in extra supplies.
And as a two-time marathoner (my last in 87 degree Pittsburgh heat) and one-time water station volunteer, I know of where I speak.
Wonderful and insightful Ferdy. How intellectual of you to contact your coworker to see if in fact there was a lack of water on the course!! Stop taking up space with your comments, its' like you get a high seeing comments next to your name!
First of all, I congratulate my fellow finishers, and console those who couldn't. You'll be back, you'll do it, and it will only mean that much more when you do.
But I do want to clear up some misperceptions about that race. 88 degrees is bad, but it is not impossible. What made the race so excruciating was the HUMIDIY. Humidity diminishes the body's ability to dissipate heat, so when you couple deminished capacity with increased demand, the result is a trainwreck, and that is what we saw on Sunday.
Because the core problem was impaired cooling, the only thing that would have changed the result would have been more hoses and more sponges, along with somebody with a bullhorn telling the runners to use the sponges and hoses instead of dumping cups of drinking water on their heads.
Hopefully, the race organizers learn from this.
I love you, too, Guest 26. Time for your meds now.
"I love you, too, Guest 26. Time for your meds now."- Ferdy
Case in point
You're deranged, thread hijacker. My comments were pertinent. You don't have to run the race to find out more about it. My colleague contradicted several posts on this thread.
Ferdy- I totally think calling other marathons in high temps would have been a great idea! I had a friend here from Florida who has volunteered at other marathons in Florida, and he said they never have that many people dropping like he saw on Sunday. He said usually the water is every mile, and every half mile towards the last leg of the race. So yeah, checking with other cities in temps similar to Sunday would have been a great thing to do.
Guest 27-You hit it on the nose! I keep saying heat, but yeah, it was really the humidity. I'm originally from southern Indiana before I moved up here years ago, and the humidity Sunday was really similar to down there, and when I trained with my Dad a few weekend this summer back home, I was hydrating every mile and every 1/2 mile and had a sponge under my hat I kept cool with (during my 15 mile run).
I only saw one sponge the whole race, and it was discarded on the side of the road towards the end. It looked very sad. :(
"You're deranged, thread hijacker. My comments were pertinent. You don't have to run the race to find out more about it. My colleague contradicted several posts on this thread"- Ferdy
I'm important DAMMIT!!!
I'm glad you have a hobby, even if it is hating me. I really don't care. You're nobody to me.
"I'm glad you have a hobby, even if it is hating me. I really don't care. You're nobody to me."- Ferdy
Grrrrrrr... don't you get it! I'm saving lives here!!!! I just can't not get the last comments in on every post here!! Dammit it's not my fault, its just a thing I have!
Here's a modest proposal - let's not have the damned marathon at all.
I'm guessing that (conservatively) 95% of Chicagoans either don't care about it or, as I am, are inconvenienced by it.
Here's a modest proposal-Move out of Chicago if you don't like large scale events that may interrupt your daily life.
Dealing with things like the marathon are just a part of living in a big city. Deal with it, or move out.
Btw, the marathon attracts in one day more spectators than the entire Bears football season (this number was giving by a marketing director of CARA at a marathon seminar earlier last month), so maybe we should just not have a football team anymore? Sounds about as reasonable as canceling the marathon...
I ran this race in '95 when the field was limited to around 8000 runners. Even then, there were some minor logistical issues. Increasing the size exponentially is going to cause stresses, no matter how well organized the event.
88 degrees is a perfectly comfortable temperature to run in --- provided you have lots of water to drink and even more to dump on your head in order to cool you body temp. Heat stroke can happen even in cooler temperatures than this - shame on the organizers for failing to address this upfront.
I'm a regular peruser of Chicagoist so I was amused to see that you've linked to the video I shot at the aid station and posted on YouTube. Just so you know, that was actually right before Mile 6, and was the third aid station in the marathon (the second station at Mile 4 was actually removed by the time I arrived!) Way too early in a marathon for them to run out of water and Gatoraide... not that there should be a shortage at ANY of them!
I'm really shocked at how viral my little video has gone. I've been contacted by CNN, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, was interviewed in person by NBC5 Chicago... wow!