JACK SNYDER
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Friday, Oct. 12, 2007

LET'S PLAY GUESS the event. Here are some hints: It was HOT, about 10,000 people didn't finish, more than 300 people were hospitalized, and one person died. While it may sound like I am describing a volcanic eruption, I am, in fact, describing the Chicago Marathon that took place last weekend.

I was there because my dad was participating in it. The plan was for us to meet at the 20-mile mark, and then together to run to the 25-mile mark, so that I could help him keep his pace up.

My sister and I went to our predetermined cheering locations throughout the city. Banking on his time from the year before, we left after certain amounts of time. My sister and I waited at each stop and still never saw my dad. We were concerned that he may have dropped out.

We decided that I would wait at mile 20 until it was obvious that he had dropped out. It turns out that my dad’s race, like that of many other participants, had suffered because of the sweltering conditions.

As my dad and I took off from the 20-mile mark, I asked what was wrong, and why his time was so off. Apparently, my dad’s old hamstring problems combined with the heat had done him in.

Within a few minutes, I was already covered with sweat, and I could only imagine the pain that the other runners were going through, and how much water they must have been losing through sweat.

After a mile and a half, my dad was suffering and had to stretch. Throughout the rest of the race, we walked through all of the water stops, where he would get sometimes up to five cups of water and Gatorade.

Despite the horrendous conditions, I can see the allure of the race. The city unites itself while its citizens cheer on the runners, and the race basically acts as a tour through the neighborhoods of Chicago.

The race brings out the best in each of these neighborhoods. Of the areas I have run through, my favorites include Chinatown and Pilsen, a Mexican neighborhood.

Chinatown reminded me of our biggest cross country invitationals with crowds that were four people deep on either side of the street. Pilsen was also great. While the crowds were smaller, the fans were more excited. Whenever a runner was wearing a shirt of a Hispanic country, there was at least one person going crazy yelling in their native language.

For some runners, this race is a personal triumph. I know many people put hundreds of hours of their time into training and running the race, and they get intense gratification when they finish.

Last year I ran my dad into the finish as well. The race last year was basically the opposite of this year’s. I would say the temperature last year was in the upper 40s, while this year the high was in the low 90s.

While watching last year's race was awful because of frigid temperatures, the weather was perfect for running, and the October race date was the reason for that.

But this year, after I ran my dad in, I met my sister and she told me that the race had been cut off early for many reasons. First, so many people had medical issues because of the heat that the organizers ran out of medics. That is a lot of medics. Second, they ran out of water. I don't know if you've ever seen the water stops, but that is a lot of water.

While some complained about the race being shut down, I think it was a good idea. At 11:45 a.m., about four hours after the start, those who had not reached the half-way point, the 13.1 mile mark, were rerouted toward Grant Park. The cutoff, made by the race director, was in an effort to prevent even more injuries and not another fatality.

However, better preparations could have been made. My dad had been telling me for at least two weeks that it was going to be very hot, and those who administered the race should have known that.

All in all, I believe the director of the race made a good decision, and I may have made a decision never to run a marathon.

[Note: This column is an expanded version of an entry that originally appeared in the Gargoyle staff blog.]