By Jennifer Keiper, WLS-AM News
More than 40,000 runners are registered for this weekend’s Chicago Marathon. It steps off, in Grant Park, on Sunday morning. Also, more than one million people will watch the runners.
Security has been tightened at marathons, across the country, since the deadly 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Chicago Bank of America Race Director Carey Pinkowski tells WLS-AM he can talk about *some* procedures…
“Obviously the procedures that we had in place in past years have worked really well. Uh, we’ll see those again this year: The screening to access Grant Park, uh, the clear gear-check bag, ticketed access to the finish-line,” said Pinkowski.
There will also be plenty of uniformed and plainclothes officers on the 26.2 mile route that winds through 29 neighborhoods.
In 2007 runners became sick because it was too hot. Marathon Medical Director, Dr. George Chaimpas, tells ABC7 that it’s expected to be warm on Sunday. “We have increased our event alert system to yellow, the purpose of that is so runners can understand what they might need to do to decrease their pace, change strategy,” said Dr. Chaimpas.
In addition to first responders, the race medical staff will have 2,100 volunteers along the route.
© 89 WLS-AM News
