Chicago Marathon: 44th annual race to see 40,000 participants Sunday, from past winners to runners looking for a comeback

The Chicago Marathon, one of the six marathon majors in the world, will start this morning, taking more than 40,000 runners, including racers in the marathon’s first nonbinary division, through the spectator-lined streets of the Windy City.

Beginning and ending in Grant Park, the course goes through 29 neighborhoods, as far north as Uptown and all the way down to Bronzeville.

From humble, sub-26.2 mile origins, the Chicago Marathon today brings athletes, including wheelchair racers, to the city from around the world. It’s been canceled only twice since it began in 1977, first in 1987 due to insufficient funding and then in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[ [Watch live] 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon ]

It’s known for its flat track and fast times. Four world records have been set on the course. And this year, the marathon is making history by introducing its first nonbinary division.

Participants will start in multiple waves, beginning with the men’s wheelchair wave at 7:20 a.m. The last wave starts at 8:35 a.m.

The weather is forecast to be warm, breezy and sunny, starting at a low of 40 degrees at 6 a.m., before steadily rising throughout the morning, reaching a high of 65 degrees by 3 p.m.The hottest race on record occurred in 2007, with a high of 89 degrees. The race was cut short and more than 300 runners were transported from the race in ambulances.

Roads on the course close at 7 a.m. Sunday and stagger reopening throughout the day as racers pass by, starting in the Loop at 10 a.m. To get around the city today, avoid local roads and take Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive and expressways, such as I-90/94, I-290 and I-55.

[ Chicago Marathon 2022: Route, tips for spectators and participants — and how to drive downtown (or avoid it) on race day ]

All roads inside Grant Park closed Thursday evening and are set to reopen Sunday night. All roads will open by 6 a.m. on Monday.

This year, the marathon will welcome 70 nonbinary racers, said Jake Fedorowski, an advocate, runner and consultant to the marathon.

Last fall, Fedorowski started a project to create a comprehensive guide to nonbinary inclusion in running, developing a website and sharing their insights across social media. They said the inspiration for this work came from deciding they would no longer participate in races that only offered men’s and women’s categories.

“I was done paying money to be misgendered,” Fedorowski said.

Emboldened by the successes of races like the Philadelphia Distance Run, they realized it was possible to create an option outside of the traditional gender options sports have always been based on. They created a public spreadsheet to track races that offered a nonbinary division and began reaching out to notable races to offer their services, including the Chicago Marathon.

Fedorowski learned that the Chicago Marathon was already set to offer a nonbinary division for 2022 due to a decision by its management company, Chicago Event Management. However, this division is only for the general population and not the elite divisions.

Cal Calamia, 26, will run the Chicago Marathon for the third time today. Previously, they had registered as female, but when they were checking their account this year, they realized there was a nonbinary option. For Calamia, races had always been stressful, from the registration process to the gendered language used throughout the event. But this year, the Grayslake native feels like they get to run this course authentically for the first time.

However, several nonbinary runners have criticized the quiet addition of the division, since there was no public announcement of the option, including Calamia.

“To have the support of the marathon that’s public that says ‘We’re proud of this category, we stand behind the decision we made to have this category’ — that is what it takes to protect us,” they said.

Fedorowski said making an announcement is an act of inviting nonbinary racers into this space, which first needs to be safe, affirming and welcoming. Having a different box to check on an application is only the beginning.

The Chicago Marathon said in a statement that it is excited to introduce the nonbinary division and recognizes the chance for more dialogue.

“Discussions are ongoing with nonbinary participants and leaders within our sport to work together towards our goal of creating more inclusive event experiences,” the statement reads.

Fedorowski’s goal this first year is to ensure race day is a positive experience for all participants. As a consultant, they led internal presentations and trainings over the past few months to ensure volunteers and event staff are welcoming. Some topics they’ve focused on include ensuring the use of gender-inclusive language and planning for equitable representation of participants on social media platforms.

Whenever Fedorowski runs a race, they wear the yellow, white, purple and black nonbinary flag around their neck. This summer, as they crossed one finish line, they saw a spectator clapping and shouting in support.

“Just seeing that one person get excited by that representation is really what keeps me going,” they said. “It’s really not for me, it’s creating a space so that the next nonbinary person that comes through doesn’t have to do that, they can just show up as their full authentic self.”

With the warm weather and Chicago’s signature fast course, several elite athletes have records on their minds headed into the race.

Last year, 35,000 people participated in the marathon, with Ruth Chepngetichof Kenya winning the women’s race in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 31 seconds, and Seifu Tura Abdiwak of Ethiopia taking home first in the men’s race with a time of 2:06:12.

All four defending champions from last year will return to compete again this year — Abdiwak, Chepngetich, men’s wheelchair racer Daniel Romanchuk and women’s wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden. Romanchuk won the race in 1:29:07, while McFadden, who has won nine Chicago Marathon titles, finished the race in 1:48:57.

When asked if she can challenge the current women’s world record of 2:14:04, which was set in Chicago in 2019, Chepngetich said, “Of course.”

“The course is faster, and the weather is good,” she said. “Chicago people, they are supportive, they cheer you, so you get motivated.”

Conner Mantz, 25 will make his debut this morning, with many anticipating a new record for a U.S. marathon debut, which currently sits just under 2 hours and 8 minutes.

“I get really excited about it, but then I need to remember it’s my first marathon, so there’s a little bit of unknown when I’m running this distance,” Mantz said at a news conference Friday.

Sunday’s race also marks Jason DePetris’ return to Chicago.

The 44-year-old from Southern California was set to run the marathon in 2019. The day before the race, he went to a restaurant with his family, and his left hand went numb. His mom said his face was drooping, and he started to drag his leg as he walked. He was transported to the hospital and told he was having a stroke, later discovered to be due to a brain aneurysm.

After a yearslong winding path to recovery, he was able to start running again last year.

“I feel like this will be me kind of taking my life back,” he said of his participation in today’s race.

To DePetris, this race represents persistence, refusing to give up no matter how much you want to — something that is naturally analogous to recovery, he said.

“To me, it’s all about what can I do with the ability that I have,” he said.

Cheering him on along the course will be Dr. Babak Jahromi, a neurosurgeon at Northwestern Medicine who treated DePetris three years ago.

“The absolute hero of this story is Jason,” Jahromi said. “It’s a testament to his personal power and the tremendous family support he has, and it’s going to be great seeing him crossing the line.”