Chicago Marathon: The Race That Never Ends

The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon ended Sunday. In fact, it ended early. Too hot, not enough water, and what's a race director to do? It was 71 degrees when it started, but quickly rose to unbearable (as marathoning goes) temperatures. Cancelling must have been a difficult decision, but necessary.

Race director Carey Pinkowski says in a letter posted on the ChicagoMarathon.com site:

The record high temperatures and humidity at Sunday’s race made for a challenging day for marathoners. The conditions on Sunday presented me with the single most difficult decision I have ever made as race director. While that was a frustration to many, I stand behind the decision to end the race early– it was a necessary safety measure. However, I also recognize that because of the conditions and my decision, many of our runners did not have the experience they trained for and expected.

Also see the recent Chicago Tribune piece on the same matter:

The official Chicago Marathon response
Chicago Tribune
Five days after the 2007 Chicago Marathon course was shut down early because of excessive heat, runners received their first response from race director Carey Pinkowski.

Also see my post: Jim Spivey Comments on LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon

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