CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Runners participating in this year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon were able to set their own course on Sunday, as the 43rd annual race was canceled and moved to a virtual event.
Ibon Hernandez of West Humboldt Park ran past Wrigley Field and her grandmother’s church in Pilsen during her first marathon.
Hernandez told WBBM that this year she missed the marathon’s crowds of fans and other runners but had relatives and friends there to cheer her on or set her pace. Sunday’s high of about 68 degrees also helped.
“I couldn’t have asked for better weather. The humidity did get to me the first half but then I just pushed through it and I just enjoyed it,” Hernandez told said.
Related
Forty people ran the marathon in Sauk Trail Woods in Chicago Heights as part of a race put on by the groups GumboFit and Edge Athlete Lounge.
GumboFit Leader Courtney Phillips said several of those running the three and a half mile loop were first-time marathoners.
She said the race attracted new runners because it didn’t have the big pressure of fundraising or massive crowds that come with the Chicago Marathon.
GumboFit is devoted to getting more black and brown people into running.
“It really attracted some new runners who might have felt intimidated by the formal racing environment and, so, this really gave them the opportunity to try something out,” Phillips said.
Chicago Marathon organizers on July 13 announced the events cancellation and all race activities due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s race registrants were able to receive a refund or defer their place and entry fee to a future race in 2021, 2022 or 2023.