"Chicago" by Carl Sandburg

Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders

-excerpt from the poem "Chicago" by Carl Sandburg (1916)

Chicago Skyline

Chicago Skyline
The Chicago Skyline from a Near West Side highrise

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Chicago Marathon 2011 - 26.2 Miles Through Chicago’s Neighborhoods

The sun also rises over Michigan Avenue
On October 9, nearly 45,000 participants ran in the 34th annual Chicago Marathon.  Along with the races in New York, Boston, Berlin, and London, Chicago's is considered one of the "World Marathon Majors".  Unlike the Boston Marathon (in which only about two miles actually take place WITHIN Boston’s city limits), the entire Chicago Marathon is a journey through some of the city’s most notable neighborhoods.

This year, one of those 45,000 was Laura, your fair blogger for this site.  Meanwhile, Michael actively participated…as moral support from the sidelines.  While Laura was focused on completing her first marathon, Michael ran around several of the neighborhoods to catch the action.

Below is a list of each mile and which neighborhood the runners traversed.  We’ve also attached an image of the scenes where Michael caught the action.