Runners World Recaps the Chicago Marathon

My issue of Runners World came in the mail yesterday and it sat on the counter all last night.  On the way out the door to work this morning I happened to glance at it and saw one of the cover stories was titled “How the Chicago Marathon Melted Down” Intrigued, I took it to work and read it.

There isn’t a whole lot new said, but it is the best summary I’ve seen is the best summary to date I’ve seen. Race officials completely underestimated the weather, had supplies positioned wrong, and by the time they realized this, it was too late.  Best quote:

“There are conflicting stories about whether fluid stations ran dry, whether the race was truly canceled, and whether the day was an outright disaster or a calamity averted. The event yielded a photo finish without photo-finish equipment, a woman who was sucker punched in the face, and at least one potential lawsuit. In a word: chaos.

The accounts of the lady who was sucker punched is interesting, and the stories from those who experienced the medical response are both amazing and frustrating. There still isn’t a clear picture around the one death, Chad Schieber. Evidentially the Chicago Office of Emergency Management is denying there was even a call for help for him, yet the City of Niles has record of him being transported on one of their ambulances. Even the true cause of death is still questioned.

Runners World usually re-publishes all its articles on-line, yet I don’t see this one up yet.  Once it is, I’ll post a link for those of you who might now get it.