Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― With the blast of a horn, 45,000 runners began their 26.2 mile trek through Chicago's neighborhoods.

Those CBS 2 talked to said they noticed a lot of changes from last year.

"I thought it was incredible," said marathoner Megan Doberneck. "I mean, there was a ton of water, a lot of misters. They had sponges, they had bananas."

"Looked like they had a lot more water – a lot more Gatorade stations, and it was a big improvement, big improvement," said runner Kurt Courkamp. "So, I commend them."

In 2007, some said there wasn't enough water to go around. The high humidity and intense heat, brought the race to a screeching halt.

"Last year was like over 90 and today is like 70 something, 80 degress, so it's perfect," said runner Ricardo Martinez.

Other differences runners saw were termperature flags. A moderate yellow alert level was posted at the start of the race. A few hours later, a red one took its place, showing runners the termperature was rising.

Many heeded the warning. Some stopped at aid stations to get ice for knees or their termperature checked. Others were taken away by ambulance as a precaution.

Last year there were 15 medical tents. Now, 20 lined the route – one station every one to two miles, each staffed with nurses, doctors and equipment for anyone who needed help.

"I break my four hours – 3:51:27 – and I'm so happy, that I'm almost dying," said marathoner Arie Derzavich.

While those CBS 2 talked with taking part in the marathon, were really happy with their performance, those who were waiting for them along the sidelines to finish the race, had a whole different take on it.

"I was a little bit nervous 'cause he should have finished about 10, 15 minutes ago," said spectator Michalene Mastre.

As some watched with anticipation, others looked on in awe.

"It's absurd," said spectator Rowdy Keelor. "I did not know there was a whole subworld of runners and I have found that they tend to be a good-looking people; and they're making me feel self-conscious about myself. So I try not to let that get me down."

Instead, let that inspire everyone to train and run next year.

Under the new alert system, a black flag would have been flown if the race needed to be stopped.

The Winners
Evans Cheruiyot captured his second marathon in two tries, pulling away late from fellow Kenyan David Mandago before finishing in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 25 seconds to win the Chicago Marathon on a warm Sunday morning.

A winner at Milan in December, the 26-year-old Cheruiyot grabbed the lead in the 24th mile and was all alone as he crossed the finish line for his first major marathon victory. Mandago clocked in at 2:07:37 in his first major marathon, with fellow Kenyan Timothy Cherigat third at 2:11:39.

It was a good day for Russia's Lidiya Grigoryeva, too.

The 2007 Boston Marathon champion breezed to her second major victory, clocking in at 2:27:17 and finishing more than two minutes ahead of runner-up Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia (2:29:32). Japan's Kiyoko Shimahara (2:30:19) was third, and Olympic gold medalist Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania (2:30:57) took fourth. Two-time defending champion Berhane Adere of Ethiopia (2:34:16) placed 10th.

The field featured 33,033 runners, with $100,000 going to the winners.

"I'm very happy," Cheruiyot said.

Three years ago, that wasn't the case. Cheruiyot said he and 14 other runners were living in a cramped house in France and their manager left them stranded with no money, food or shelter after competing in several races.

The Kenyan embassy rescued them and Cheruiyot went home in January 2006.

He'll leave Chicago with enough money and a wide smile after another sweltering marathon.

Race Reactions
Last year, with heavy humidity and temperatures soaring into the high 80s, the race was stopped after about four hours. Organizers were accused of not supplying enough water, and about 50 people were hospitalized. A 35-year-old man died, although coroners blamed it on a heart condition and said tests showed no evidence he was dehydrated.

The weather was almost as rough this time, with the temperature climbing from 65 at the start to the high 70s while the elite runners were still on the course before reaching in the mid 80s late in the morning. Several runners still needed medical attention.

Sunday's heat may have kept some people away, especially after last year's fiasco, and that was just fine with Carey Pinkowski, race director.

"There's nothing causal about this (marathon)," he said. 

"If it had been much warmer, it might have been too hot," said Seattle attorney Andy Sachs, 32, who finished the race in just under four hours when the temperature had climbed into the mid 80s.

Sachs didn't run the 2007 marathon that had to be canceled about four hours after the start because of scorching, near-90 degree heat that had hundreds of runners collapsing or vomiting.

Chicago organizers took added precautions this year by using a warning-flag system to let runners know if race conditions deteriorated.

Race spokeswoman Marianne Caponi said a red warning flag let runners know to consider adjusting their pace, pay attention to their hydration and be aware of how their bodies were reacting to the rising temperatures.

"All in all, it's a good day," race director Carey Pinkowski said.

Runners were thankful this year for the extra water.


"They definitely learned from last year," said Mark Glickman, 45, an attorney from the Chicago suburb of Northbrook.


"Hydration is important to running a safe race," said David Rudis, Bank of America, Illinois president. "We have three times as much Gatorade and one-and-a-half times as much water. I think you could swim all 26.2 miles in fluid."

George Chiampas, the race medical director, said 76 runners were taken to hospitals. Caponi said 184 runners were transported to hospitals last year.

About 12,000 fewer people ran the race than expected -- 45,000 people registered but the field on race day was about 33,000.

"I would hope that some of our participants looked at the temperature and said, 'Hey, it's going to be a challenging day for me. Maybe I'm not prepared as well as I would have,"' Pinkowski said.

Navy Lt. Brian Shearer, 44, said Sunday's heat could have doomed the race to be a repeat of last year if organizers hadn't been ready.

"It was very well run this year. They were very attentive to everybody. They gave us blankets, water, Gatorade -- it was perfect," said Shearer from the Naval Station Great Lakes. "It was a good thing they had everything ready. It could have been tough if they didn't have the aid stations."

Shearer also had a personal strategy to get through the heat: He drank extra water and ate five gel nutrition packs for a boost.

Runner Jeff Sulivan of Geneva said marathon organizers should consider starting the race an hour early at 7 a.m. so more people can finish before the day heats up if it's hot again next year.

But Glickman said the weather in Chicago is just too fickle to make the race a prisoner of it -- a couple of years ago race day was chilly.

"You can't control the weather in Chicago," he said.

Ray Orozco, Office of Emergency Management and Communications executive director, said the city used none of its resources during the marathon because marathon officials had taken care of the emergency responders who handled medical problems along the way.

Even with the weather, Cheruiyot managed to set a quick pace and appeared to be in good shape as he crossed the finish line.



He was in the lead pack with Mandago and fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai as they headed south back through downtown and the West Loop midway through the race. Mutai, who finished fourth at London in April, dropped off in the 18th mile. Mandago momentarily took the lead but mostly ran alongside Cheruiyot before the heat caught up to him.

While Mandago faded on the 24th mile, Cheruiyot made his move as they headed up Michigan Avenue toward the finish line and became the sixth straight Kenyan to win in Chicago.

"Mandago was not strong at that time," Cheruiyot said. "But me, I was pushing my best. ... Mandago was coming slow, but me, I just pushed."

The women's race followed a somewhat similar pattern, with Grigoryeva and Biktimirova jumping ahead midway through and Grigoryeva putting her away in the latter stages.

"The hot weather played well for me today because the race starts slowly, develops slowly," Grigoryeva said through an interpreter. "I was very confident in my speed."

Tomescu-Dita and Adere fell out of contention early on.

Dressed in gold just seven weeks after she became the oldest woman to win an Olympic medal, the 38-year-old Tomescu-Dita could not deliver another big performance.

The winner here in 2004 and runner-up in 2003 and 2005, a leg injury sidelined her for four months last year and prevented her from running in Chicago after she finished fifth in 2006. She also divorced her husband, who is also her coach, this year, but the emotional and physical pain didn't stop her from becoming the oldest woman to win an Olympic marathon medal.

Running her fourth marathon in 8 1/2 months, Tomescu-Dita acknowledged she was a little tired. She stayed with the leaders for the first half but could not make up ground after Grigoryeva and Biktimirova pulled ahead.

"It was not impossible to go with them, but they were going very fast," said Tomescu-Dita, who did not want to run out of energy.

That the leaders did not trail off was not a surprise to her. Grigoryeva was surprised, though, that no one challenged them.

"They dropped very fast," said Grigoryeva, who plans to donate part of her winnings to a Russian orthodox church and children's hospital back home. "It was a very big surprise that nobody came with us."

Marathon Paves Way For 2016
One of the largest footraces in the world, the 31st Annual Chicago Marathon, takes athletes from more than 105 countries through 29 different Chicago neighborhoods -- parts of the city, that come 2016, could be playing host to Olympic events.

That's why race organizers taped cheers of racers Saturday that will be featured on the Chicago 2016 Website.

It's also why the race's director says it's so important to send all those international Olympic athletes home with a good impression of the Windy City.

"It really spreads the word about the quality of competition we have and the great neighborhoods in the city and what a great destination Chicago is," said Pinkowski.

Just as important as the currency of public opinion is the actual currency the race pumps into the local economy.

"We're forecasting an excess of $140 million, which is great," Pinkowski said.

About 45,000 people ran Sunday and they were joined with as many as a 1.5 million people to cheer them on. And it's the cheers that many participants say keep them coming back for more.

"Why do we put ourselves through this pain? We're nuts and it's an accomplishment and it just looks really dang cool," said Missouri resident Abigail Rolbiecki.

As is the thought of running with the world's best. When asked if CBS 2 should look for Little Rock, Arkansas resident James Terback amidst the Kenyans in the race, he said no.

"Unless there are some really slow Kenyans," he added.

CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli, the STNG Wire, and Associated Press contributed to this report.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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