This year's Chicago is just three weeks away on Sunday, October 13. As always it will feature a big and star-studded field of runners.
In his three-plus decades with the Chicago Marathon, Pinkowski has become known for putting on a super-fast race for elite competitors, and a super-efficient race for midpackers.
Last year, Kelvin Kiptum set the marathon world record in Chicago, running 2:00:35. He covered the second half of the distance in an astounding 59:47.
This year's Chicago is expected to host more than 50,000 starters--the most ever. They come for the big city vibe, the fast tour of many neighborhoods, and the easy-accessibility of Chicago's loop course with a start and finish in Grant Park on the lakefront.
In this podcast, Pinkowski reflects on:
# What he learned in his early years on the job
# Some of the best--and most challenging--years of the Chicago Marathon
# What runners like best about coming to Chicago and running the urban marathon
# Why Chicago has pacers vs other Major Marathons that don't
# What he learned from watching Kelvin Kiptum's world-record last year
# How he learned about Kiptum's death, and his immediate reactions
# And much more
You can follow updates from the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Twitter and Instagram.
WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"
