The (2025) Chicago Marathon

We’re back! I have returned once again to reflect on my experience at the 2025 Chicago Marathon. I feel lucky to have a chance to write again about this race. I don’t want to jinx anything, but this is becoming somewhat of an annual tradition. I want to relive this experience, specifically the highs and lows that make this race so incredible, and I want to continue this process of reflection because I only learn and improve for what’s next. 

In many ways, this race felt similar to last year's race. In other ways, I felt like I was bringing much more experience and confidence to the starting line. Logistically, I knew what to expect from the days leading up to the race, as well as the chaos that would ensue on race-day. I felt a blanketing anxiety Monday morning of race week, but with each day closer to the race, I felt that feeling dissipate more. Checking the box of travelling smoothly from Charlotte to Chicago, successfully picking up my bib, and getting settled with my essentials at the hotel instilled a sense of peace approaching Sunday morning. My reminder that week was that ‘I am enough’. The training, the sacrifice, the commitment I made earlier in the summer was enough. There was nothing more to gain this weekend, and everything to celebrate. 

I was fortunate to partner with an amazing charity organization, The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, which afforded me a few luxuries that I didn’t have for last year’s race. A heated tent, a wide array of pre-race foods, private latrines (if you’ve seen the lines for public potties, you know what a win that is), and a private area to warm-up. My options last year were pavement, public restrooms, and braving the elements in throwaway clothing before the race kicked off. I was able to focus on my routine, and remind myself that this run was really no different than all the other early mornings I had experienced. On a morning filled with 55,000 nervous runners, blasting music, and darkness, these luxuries created internal calm and quiet.

Getting the race started at 8am, I knew what to expect from the first 5k within Chicago’s ‘Loop’. Inconsistent GPS signal, elevated heart rate, and disbelief for how many people showed up to cheer on the marathon. I stayed as smooth as I could and felt confident heading north on La Salle toward Lincoln Park. GPS was only going to get better and the bunching of runners was only going to improve from there. All the while, I kept my eyes peeled for the pretty girl in a yellow hat holding a sign with my name on it, as well as my daughter. If you’ve never run a race of this size, you don’t realize how much energy you can spend just looking for your crew on the sidelines. Instead of focusing on the road ahead, you can spend hours scanning the crowd. We had a plan to meet at mile 5 and 12, and I intended to focus on the race until those points. 

As I passed the 15k mark, I felt like I had a good plan of action ahead of me. These northern neighborhoods of Chicago were littered with signs showing displeasure for the Cubs (who ended their season just 12 hours before the race) and the current state of the US government. A common theme showed admiration for how efficient we marathoners looked to the latter options. Average pacing to that point was about 7:40/mile, riding the line of my goal. Keeping my pace at or just above the target would hopefully leave me with enough energy to tackle late marathon miles aggressively. This, of course, is only if I manage to dodge all the punches.

The ever-so-slight downhill of Wells Street is one of the greater highlights of this race. Gorgeous brownstone houses are guarded by historic trees and their turning leaves. Off in the distance is Chicago’s skyline offering a reference point for when you’ll be heading out on the next arm of the course. Crossing the bridge onto Whacker Street, you’re met again with an explosion of fan support as you cross the midway point of the race. Does a thought creep into my head of what a good stopping point this would be? Of course. Does part of me want to wrap up this effort and enjoy a sunny day in the park? Yes. But that’s not what I signed up for. It’s time for the race to throw its first punches, and for me to see how I take them.

Heading west toward the United Center, crowd energy starts to decline. This drug that is emotional support is starting to wear off. Your legs begin to feel like they’ve already taken 20,000 steps. This is why I love this race. Throughout a marathon, inside my head feels like a constant game of tug-of-war. Half of me aches and doubts and just wants to jog it out to the finish. The other half of me is willing to ride that line of discomfort to see how far we can take this. Miles 14-18 is a major lull on the west loop that doesn’t offer much excitement, no views of the city, and a no-mans-land for runners looking out for the inevitable wall. The less I can use my brain in these miles, the better off I will be. 

Escaping this lull still leaves you with a hard 10k to the finish. Major brands like Lululemon, Nike, and Maurten fill out blocks with crazy fans and support. Obviously trying to distract runners who are staring straight into the eyes of demise. This is where you have the day you dreamed of, or you hold on to see what time you can escape with. For me, I felt the latter was becoming my only option. It started with a water station around mile 20 on Canalport Avenue. Something I worked with all summer was a handheld water bottle to supplement the salt I was losing throughout summer runs. Altogether, I had three packets of LMNT on my person that I planned to refill this bottle with throughout the race. As I approached this aid station, I unscrewed the cap, tore the packet open, added the powder, and filled the bottle with 3-4 cups handed out from volunteers. It wasn’t pretty but I managed to perform this circus act without disturbing other runners and without dropping pace by more than 30 seconds. I had what I needed until I didn’t. In the mess of unscrewing caps and refilling, I threw the cap of my bottle onto the street along with the paper cups without even noticing. There I was left with a bottle I couldn’t close, filled with liquids I couldn’t drink. When you’re 2:30 into a marathon, simple mistakes like these feel devastating. That’s it. Here's my excuse. I can’t press on without my drink. I kept a balancing act going for another half mile before ultimately deciding to throw the bottle to the side of the road where it may just be for the rest of time. 

At this point in the race, I made an important decision. Instead of being upset and letting these simple mistakes define my day, I reminded myself that this race is a celebration of the commitment I made earlier in the year. I woke up early, I ran when it rained, when it was too hot, when humidity made me chafe in places I shouldn’t. And this deserves to be celebrated. Ultimately, no one cares about my time nearly as much as I do. So why not just enjoy the fact that you’re in Chicago running a race that is for fun?

Chinatown and South Chicago demonstrate a ruthless commitment to being proud of their neighborhoods. Droves of fans appeared around the corners of Wentworth and Michigan Avenue. Utility trucks with hoses spouted water into the street to cool down runners. Shots, beers, halloween candy, PB&J’s, and pickles all made an appearance in these last few miles of the course. 

Returning to Michigan Avenue heading north offers runners reassurance that this race does in fact have a finish line. The abuse will end for those suffering, and the finish line is right there for folks having a record day. Though my pace dropped a minute per mile slower than I had originally hoped, I was proud that the blow-up moment I had experienced in this same spot last year was firmly behind me. That was progress. I was proud that no matter how hard the tug-of-war got in my head, I never allowed myself to stop. With a kilometer left, you enter one of the loudest spots on the course. A hard right turn onto Roosevelt Road sends you up the steepest climb on the course. Signs count down 400m, 300m, and 200m to give you enough hope to crest the hill and look left to see the finish line in the distance. I fought hard to the line to finish at 3:28:57, a personal record of 13:36 from the year prior. The walk from the finish line to the meetup area is filled with feelings of accomplishment, relief, and the first signs of what’s going to be sore in the morning. 

I’m so thankful for the opportunities to participate in races like these and push my body to physical limits along the way. I hope to check off all the world majors at some point in my lifetime but if it means I race Chicago every year instead, I think I’d be okay with that. As I’ve said before, marathon lotteries are free, so why not join the fun, too. See ya in Richmond :)