There are times that nature humbles us. One of those days was last Sunday, the day of the 2007 Chicago Marathon. The marathon is held in October and typically sees temperatures of 40, 50, or 60 degrees Fahrenheit. This last Sunday at the start time (8AM), we were greeted by a temperature already in the high seventies. The day was bright and sunny and the humidity would be over 80 percent. All of this added up to a recipe for disaster. Before the day was over, runners would be subjected to a beating sun, high humidity, and temperatures reaching 88 degrees Fahrenheit.
We all knew it would be a hot day, but I honestly didn’t anticipate what the conditions would actually feel like. Apparently many others didn’t anticipate either. The weather took its toll. All runners had slower finishing times (even the Elites were lagging last year’s finish by 5 minutes or so). 250 people were treated by medics along the course, 50 people hospitalized, and one man died due to a heart defect. My friends told me stories about runners passing out on the sidewalks, runners vomiting in alleys, and runners dropping like flies from the race. At noon (4 hours after the start), the marathon planners officially canceled the marathon due to the heat. Evidently water supplies and available medics were running short. Any runner who had not passed the halfway point by this time was stopped and bused back to the finish. Other runners who were further along the course were told to walk the rest of the marathon.
The heat also affected yours truly. I started out the race running with a group of people from my CARA training group. We busted out and hit the first few miles running at a 9:30 pace. Eventually I lost sight of the group at the second aid station in the mass of people. I had decided at that point that being sufficiently hydrated was more important than staying with the group. If I had to, I was perfectly prepared to run alone. At that point I think I settled in close to a 10 minute per mile pace. I felt pretty strong. I luckily ended up meeting up with my group again, but once again we would part ways. After that, I would only see individual group members along the way. I continued at the 10 minute per mile pace which carried me across Addison in Wrigleyville. I headed South through my home neighborhood, Lincoln Park, still going strong. In fact, I hit the half marathon distance at 2 hours 13 minutes which isn’t bad. I was feeling pretty good until shortly after mile 17. After passing that marker my body didn’t feel so well. Earlier even though I had good rhythm, I felt my heart rate starting to climb. It certainly scared me because I was wondering if I should drop out of the race or not. However, I continued on and did the thing that seemed most natural: I began to dump cups of water on my head as I passed the aid stations. I suspect I was overheating. This would definitely cause my body temperature and my heart rate to increase. The water seemed to help tremendously by cooling me down. However, even with this tactic, I decided I needed to slow way down and take a walking break in order to give myself some rest. I timed my walking breaks, not wanting to devote too much time to them. I decided that I would do intervals in order to finish the race. I would walk 5 minutes and then run slowly for 10 minutes. This seemed to work pretty well. However, each time it became harder to run. Evidently my posture must have been slouching because my mid/lower back muscles began to ache. Also I found it harder to breathe since there was pain in my back from expanding my rib cage.
I had run well during the first two thirds of the course. However, the last nine to eight miles were just brutal. At that point I wondered if I would want to run a marathon again. I wondered if I would ever finish. Despite this, I knew one thing at the time. At the very least, I could definitely walk my way into the finish. So I struggled through the colorful and festive neighborhoods of Pilsen (Latin flavor) and Chinatown. I struggled to run through the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology. However, no matter if I was walking or jogging slowly, I was still progressing. I had come to finish this race, and I would crawl across the finish line if that’s what it came down to.
When I reached Michigan Avenue and headed toward the finish, I was severely focused. As I ran, I breathed deeply to soothe the pain in my back and ribs. I stared at the ground in front of me, charting my progress by passing small landmarks like street markings. I was doing anything I could to inch forward. It was at this point before reaching mile 24 that the cancellation announcement came from police and marathon workers. For those of us this close to finishing, they just advised that we walk it out. I did for the most part although I ran some of it. It was a shame though because I felt I was gaining a second strength. I should have just kept running consistently. After what seemed an eternity, I finally neared the finish. I walked most of the way at a brisk pace hoping I could finish in less than 5 hours. I realized as I came closer that my goal was slightly out of reach. Obviously I was disappointed, but nevertheless I ran out the last 100 meters across the finish line with my arms held high.
Despite breaking down and walking a lot of the last 8-9 miles, I had done it. I had finished the Chicago Marathon. My chip time was 5 hours 00 minutes and 46 seconds. This wasn’t too far from my goal of a sub 5 hour marathon.
Honestly, completing the Chicago Marathon in these challenging conditions was the single hardest thing I have done in my life. To finish, you had to be a survivor; a person determined to keep moving forward despite the pain and the doubt. I questioned myself, but knew at the very least I would finish. It was this belief as well as the people supporting me that had kept me going.
When I arrived back at the CARA tent, I saw some of my group members. It turns out most of them also had a lot of trouble with the heat. In fact most of them finished in the 5 hour range as well. I also later found out that 10000 people chose not to run the race at all while another 10000 people started, but didn’t finish. Collectively 20000 people of 45000 never finished. As my Uncle said, “well at least you finished in the top half.” Considering all this, I realized that my performance hadn’t been that bad. In fact, it took a lot of guts and determination to even finish the race on a day like this. I can’t be disappointed about my effort and my toughness.
Overall, the Chicago Marathon is a magical experience. Never have I had the opportunity to see a whole city come out to support an event and the people participating in it. It was wonderful to hear the spectator encouragement (especially when they could shout out your name from your nametag). Also it gave me a chance to see some of the city’s neighborhoods and its people up close. I highly recommend this race as a goal for anyone I know.
As I close, I would like to give thanks to many people. First I give thanks to my family and friends who tracked my progress and sent messages of encouragement and support. I was truly surprised by the outpour you gave. It went a long way on race day. I also give special thanks to the people who made out on the course to watch me run and finish (my Dad, Sarin, Ben, Chris, Scott, David, Rich, Arjun, and Dhaval). It was a tremendous gesture. I also want to thank my CARA group members and our pace leader, Tom. They were there with me for four months of early Saturday morning long runs (including the 20 miler). Without them, I don’t think I could have ever arrived at the finish line. Finally, I want to thank all of the volunteers, organizers, and spectators. They made this an outstanding occasion.
After the race, I walked home down Armitage Avenue with Scott. I was still wearing my running clothes, bib, and finisher’s medal. As we passed, stranger after stranger stopped and congratulated me. I realized then how great of an achievement it was to run this race. It was as though I was a new person who had emerged from the challenge. But in reality, I was the same person I was before. I had just discovered a bit more of myself along the way.
