Chicago gears up for Chicago Marathon with 47,000 athletes
With more than 47,000 athletes taking part, this Sundays Chicago Marathon will be the biggest since the pandemic. Athletes will be descending on the city from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.
CHICAGO - With more than 47,000 athletes taking part, this Sunday's Chicago Marathon will be the biggest since the pandemic. Athletes will be descending on the city from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.
On top of that, 1.7 million spectators will line up across Chicago to cheer them on. That also means road closures. Some streets are already blocked off, but many closures in and around Grant Park will take place Friday night and Saturday.
Husband and wife, Erin and Peter Beck, are in from Bend, Oregon, here with friends from their running group called "Running is Our Therapy" or "RIOT" for short. They last ran the Chicago Marathon in 2009 and were signed up to run in 2020, but COVID altered those plans.
With this year's marathon fast-approaching, they are sharing their highlights from last time.
"I love going through all the neighborhoods; it’s just a unique way to see a very large, vibrant city, and the spectators that turn out and make it just so gosh darn fun," said Erin, marathon athlete.
"The highlight for me was rounding the corner into Chinatown, and there was the big drummers, and people were like five deep in the crowds. It was just so uplifting," said Peter, marathon athlete.
The city is buzzing with excitement. This year's marathon weekend is expected to rake in roughly 400 million for the city. That money comes from hotels, restaurants, and shopping.
Michael Jacobson, President and CEO of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, says that most downtown hotels are booked for the weekend, and any rooms that are left likely won't be available for long.
Jacobson says that about a third of marathon participants are from overseas.
"The benefit of international travelers is they stay longer, they spend more than a domestic traveler," Jacobson said. "You look at the marathon runners, they’re not just coming for one night, they’re coming for several days to prepare for the race, get acquainted to Chicago, they’re eating in our restaurants, visiting our museums, they’re taking taxi cabs and landing at our airport, so the ripple effect across the entire economy is just incredible."
Chicago Marathons economic impact on the city
The city is buzzing with excitement, and preps are in full swing for the start of this years Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Each year, this weekend brings millions of people and millions of dollars to the city.
And this year's marathon will mark an exciting milestone.
Since it was founded in 1977, more than 960,000 people have crossed the finish line, which means this year's race will see its one-millionth finisher.
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