The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is an annual display of true grit — regardless of whether you’re among the world’s elite runners or a casual jogger looking for a challenge.
More than 54,000 runners stepped off for Sunday’s 26.2-mile race that weaved through 29 Chicago neighborhoods, where spectators packed sidewalks, screamed, cheered, danced, blew air horns, displayed clever signs, and handed out snacks and Gatorade.
And despite several weeks of intense immigration enforcement, mass protests and negative national headlines about Chicago, runners and spectators told the Sun-Times they reveled in the chance to show some Chicago pride.
“Chicago will always show out, and the marathon is the perfect example of that,” said Izzy Mealy, who was cheering on runners in Lincoln Park. “They’ll try to tear us down and say things that are not true, but we are thriving here, and the city comes together, and it’s so beautiful. And we’re so proud to live here.”
Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo won the 47th Chicago Marathon in the men’s division with an unofficial time of 2:02:23. And though no world records were broken, Conner Mantz shattered a long-standing American record, finishing the race with an unofficial time of 2:04:43. In the women’s division, Ethiopian Hawi Feysa won with an unofficial time of 2:14:56, a personal best.
At around noon in the first half of the course, street sweepers were tidying up. Volunteers were raking up plastic cups. But there were still runners finishing their marathon.
Anne Simmons of Des Plaines was passing the 12-mile marker about four hours into the race. She’s no stranger to the Chicago Marathon — it was her fourth time running the race with Team Salute, a charity that supports veterans and their families.
But she almost didn’t race. Simmons didn’t have much time to train over the summer. She’d resolved to skip the race when an anonymous donor gave her race fund $1,000.
“So I’m here, I’m doing it, and I don’t really care about my pace this year,” Simmons said. “But I’m finishing.”
The 41-year-old mental health professional said she’s seen how Team Salute helps veterans, including her husband, a Navy veteran.
“It’s an organization that’s near and dear to my heart,” Simmons said. “I couldn’t not try today.”
At the corner of Loomis and 18th streets in Pilsen, the air thumped with music and horns as runners neared the 20-mile mark. Spectators lined the course with homemade posters with runners’ names and pun-filled messages for family and friends passing by. Several also waved Mexican flags and posters reading “ICE out.”
Viviana Barajas, 32, said “it’s been like hell” for her to wake up to messages about sightings of federal immigration agents in the city. But coming out for the marathon was a chance to connect with her community and cheer on the runners.
“I’m so grateful to be in so many community spaces where strangers come together and support one another,” she said. “The fact that we have people from across the world who will show up for an event like this in our city just goes to show that this is no ‘hellhole.’”
Barajas, who lives in Hermosa, said when she’d heard rumors about possible immigration activity near the marathon route, she was more determined than ever to show up.
“I don’t leave the house without this,” she said of the bullhorn she was using to cheer on runners. It’s the same one she uses to alert her neighbors of immigration agent sightings.
A few steps away, Rene Velasco, 31, waved a large Mexican flag and a “Immigrants make Chicago run” sign. The marathon is one of his favorite events of the year, he said. Several of his friends were also running Sunday.
“The marathon is such a good way to highlight the community and all the good things happening, all the cheerfulness,” he said. “This is not a city filled with crime and hate. This is a city filled with love and support.”
At the 10-mile mark in Lincoln Park, Mealy was cheering alongside her friend, Caroline Kozera. The two 25-year-old grade school teachers live near the marathon course in Lincoln Park. Despite cheering for hours, the two were still in high spirits around noon as the remaining marathoners passed them on Broadway.
“This is our Super Bowl,” said Kozera, who had started to lose her voice from cheering.
Watching the marathon has become an annual tradition for Kozera and Mealy. They especially love to cheer on the people toward the back of the pack.
“It’s so cool to run it in under three hours, that’s impressive. But some of these people are going to be out here for like 5 and a half hours,” Mealy said.
“Look,” she said pointing at a street sweeper passing a runner on the course, “sanitation is out here, and they’re still killing it, they keep pushing through, they keep going. I think that’s the most impressive thing.”
