The Banco Popular Chicago Half Marathon
The Banco Popular Chicago Half Marathon presented by Farmers Insurance
- Sunday, September 8, 2007 7:30 AM
- Museum of Science and Industry, 57th and Lake Shore Drive
- 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive
- Chicago, IL
The scenic course winds through Jackson and Hyde Park and then down Lake Shore Drive. This popular race which, has continued to increase since 1996, is up to 12,500 for 2007 from 10,000 in 2006. 2007 registration was shut off in August. The Banco Popular Chicago Half Marathon is ranked by Runner's World magazine as one of the Top 10 half marathons in the United States. The race raised more than $35,000 for the programs of Special Olympics Chicago in 2006 For further information or to register for the 10th Banco Popular Chicago Half Marathon, visit ChicagoHalfMarathon.com or call (312) 347-0233.
Packet pickup race number, t-shirt, goodie bag and Champion Chip was available at the Race Expo; there was no race day packet pickup. The weekend of the race saw the two-day Health & Fitness Expo, which was also the only packet pickup. All finishers received handsome purple ribbons and metals. A huge race party on the grounds of the Museum of Science & Industry followed the race.
If you want to park at the museum you should arrive an hour or two early and have cash before you park, you cannot use credit cards afterward. The later you arrive the more streets will be closed. Lake Shore Drive is closed an hour or so before the race. Despite the seemingly hundreds of porta-potties the lines were at least a half-hour long an hour before the race, so maybe you should skip the coffee for breakfast and just have water.
