Photos from the Chicago Marathon

A busy weekend of running in the Windy City with Runner’s World VIP.

by Robert James ReesePublished: Oct 19, 2016 9:15 AM EDT

Our first Runner’s World VIP event at the Chicago Marathon was a big success. We met many new runner friends and saw lots of familiar faces that we’d met before. While I didn’t take nearly as many pictures as I had intended to—I got distracted by all the fun we were having—I still ended up with a few snapshots to remember the weekend with.

Robert James Reese

We kicked off the weekend with the RW shake out run. Before getting started, our video producer Derek Call asked the crowd to give a cheer for the camera.

Robert James Reese

Our route started from the South Loop Fleet Feet store and ran towards the waterfront.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Robert James Reese

The weather—both on Saturday and on Sunday—was perfect for running. We couldn’t have asked for any better.

Robert James Reese

The expo was a busy place, but runners were all smiles as they picked up their bibs.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Robert James Reese

On Sunday morning, Coach Budd Coates led all the Runner’s World VIP runners from the prerace reception to the start line across the street. We all tried not to be nervous, but there was plenty of marathon morning anxiety. That’s par for the course. At least we didn’t have to worry about getting lost.

Robert James Reese

Over 40,000 runners finished the marathon. For those of us used to small town marathons, the starting corral with all those runners was a spectacular sight.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Robert James Reese

Crowds of spectators were thick along the entire course.

Robert James Reese

Running down the urban canyons made for some “interesting” GPS results.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Robert James Reese

The finish chute was filled with heat sheets. (And my phone’s camera lens was filled with moisture from 26.2 miles of running.)

Robert James Reese

After the race, I headed back to the Hilton for the Runner’s World VIP postrace reception. Runners trickled in and shared their stories from the course while filling up on good food and beer. It was the perfect end to a weekend full of running.

* * *

For information on how you can join Runner’s World VIP at an event, visit runnersworldblog.com/VIP.