HOKA Chicago Half Marathon
5 years later, and it is still the largest medal I currently have.
Running with Friends
By this time, I'd made friends in Chicago who were also into running. They planned to run this half, so I joined up.
13.1 Miles of Heat
This race came at the close of summer, temperatures still fairly high. I carried two bottles of Gatorade — which, ironically, worked against me with the added weight.
Medal
Just another half marathon, but I was shocked at how huge the medal was — still the largest one I have.
Getting There
My second half also took place in Chicago, but this time the starting point was at Jackson Park, further south. Luckily, there was a museum nearby that offered parking for runners, sparing me the headache of finding a spot at 5am. I was running with a group of friends, but I was the only one driving from the suburbs, so carpooling wasn't an option.
The Race
The race began at Jackson Park, near the Museum of Science and Industry, and headed north, eventually merging onto Lake Shore Drive, where most of the run took place. For about 7 miles, we all trotted along LSD, Lake Michigan on the right and the Chicago skyline staring me down on the left. I'd packed two bottles of Gatorade, hand-carrying them the entire race — long story short, they weighed me down, so I had to down them fast.
Eventually we turned around and made our way back south, onto Jackson Park and through the finish line. The entire route was flat, which makes the Chicago Marathon one of the easier World Majors courses.
Like my first half marathon, I spent a significant amount of time walking in the second half, since I wasn't chasing a PR. But even though my legs felt like jelly, I felt great finishing — especially since this was half marathon number two. Afterwards, my friends and I stopped at PB&J in the West Loop and called it a day!
