On Monday I displayed some of the shirts I was running around with, literally, in last Sunday's Chicago Marathon. The gentleman on the left is running in the honor of the Jerry Ayre, who is pictured on the back of his shirt. I saw about a dozen of similarly attired runners. God bless every single one of them.Chicagoans have a love-hate relationship with New York. Mostly the latter. But the lady in red loves Chicago.
Weddings are stressful times. Running a marathon, in a different way, is also stressful. Presumably the woman in the head-dress is relaxing now, but on the back of her shirt reads, "Bride 10-18-08." The Chicago Marathon took place on October 12.
I wonder what she has planned this weekend? Psychiatric counseling?
The guys on the right share the same birthday, which is October 12. I was running alongside of them for about five miles, until I lost sight of them. My guess is that the birthday boys finished together. Happy Birthday, fellas!
My favorite T-shirt slogan from last week's race belongs to the man in the white shirt on the lower left. Temperatures reached unseasonably high temperatures in last year's race--which put 200 runners in various hospital emergency rooms. His shirt reads, "Last year ER, this year PR." PR meaning personal record. This year's race was only slightly less warm, let's hope this guy got his PR, or at least finished.
During the last five miles of the Chicago Marathon, I found myself running alongside the man on the right, wearing the familiar "34" Chicago Bears jersey of the late Walter Payton. I don't know the man's motivation in wearing that shirt, but "Sweetness" died of cancer nine years ago, at the young age of 45.
Payton was fast, and this guy was faster than I was last Sunday; he pulled away from me in the last mile--running for daylight--and the finish line.
Related posts:
T-shirts of the 2008 Chicago Marathon: Part One
Scenes from the 2008 Chicago Marathon--from a participant
2008 Chicago Marathon: Elvis is everywhere!
Finished another one: 2008 Chicago Marathon
2007 Chicago Marathon posts:
Shirts of the Chicago Marathon
A participant's view of the cancelled Chicago Marathon: UPDATED
Water station mayhem at Chicago Marathon
Happier scenes from Sunday's Chicago Marathon
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