NEWS
April 7, 2014 | By Tracy Swartz and RedEye
Runners are running out of time to register for the Chicago Marathon lottery. Registration for the marathon's lottery system , in place this year after years of first-come, first-serve registration, closes at noon Monday. The Oct. 12 race will be capped at 45,000 runners. A marathon spokeswoman wouldn't say how many people have signed up for the lottery system, which opened March 19 after a two-week delay to test the online system. The marathon will notify runners April 14 if they won the lottery.
NEWS
January 7, 2014 | By Mick Swasko, @swasko and RedEye
Don't shuffle your feet. Registration for this year's Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K opens at noon Tuesday, and if last year's process is any indication, you better act fast. Last year, the 40,000 runner race sold out almost a full month before the event. This year marks the 35th year for the 8-kilometer race that winds through downtown and ends in Grant Park, held this year at 8:30 a.m. March 30. It is the second largest race in Chicago after the Chicago Marathon. Registration is $45. Want more?
NEWS
October 11, 2013 | By Tracy Swartz, @tracyswartz and RedEye
Before some Chicago Marathon runners make it to the start line, they'll have to navigate the CTA line. Long lines for fare cards greeted travelers to O'Hare Friday morning as the CTA continued its transition to Ventra, its new fare payment system. Two days before the Chicago Marathon, which attracted 45,000 runners and an estimated 1.7 million spectators last year, is typically one of the O'Hare Blue Line station's busiest days of the year. At one point Friday morning, RedEye counted 106 people in line for seven fare card machines at...
SPORTS
October 10, 2013 | By Jack M Silverstein and For RedEye
While many wheelchair athletes are born without use of their legs, many who will compete in the Chicago Marathon ended up in a wheelchair because of injury. This is the case for three Chicago-area residents: Adam Finney of Bronzeville, Geoff Kent of River North and Bob Swanson of Round Lake, Ill. "You end up in a wheelchair and it's a confusing time," said Kent, 33. "You say, 'What am I going to do with myself?'" Kent suffered his injury while skiing in 2007. "I fell 40 feet and landed on a tree trunk on my spine.
SPORTS
October 10, 2013 | By Jack M Silverstein, @readjack and For RedEye
Chicagoans alive for the Michael Jordan era know how thrilling - and how difficult - it can be to pull off a three-peat. When the wheelchair portion of the Chicago Marathon kicks off Sunday, Paralympic gold medal winner Tatyana McFadden will be aiming for a pair of them. McFadden, a student at the University of Illinois and a three-time gold medal winner in the London 2012 paralympics, is the two-time reigning champ of the Chicago Marathon, as well as the reigning champ of both the Boston and London marathons.
NEWS
April 24, 2013 | By John Hickey, @johnnyjhickey and For RedEye
First and foremost, the people of Boston are in our thoughts and prayers for their courage during the events of the past couple of weeks. When any tragedy strikes, the bottom dwellers of society usually are the ones whose voices are heard the loudest. Here are eight types I've encountered. Colin the Comedian Overheard: "Sounds like the marathon was a blast this year. " I'll out myself first. When I read there was a blast heard near the finish line, I posted a snarky tweet about how marathoners couldn't hear it over the...