Pictured David Reithoffer. Photo by Ross Forman. Jim Law, Carey Pinkowski and Dorothy Coyle. Photo by Ross Forman
By Ross Forman
The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Community Partners Program officially kicked off Sept. 29 with a press conference at the Sidney Yates Gallery inside the Chicago Cultural Center along East Washington Street in downtown Chicago.
The Community Partners Program is designed for the Marathon's 40,000 runners, their friends and families, and the race's 1.2 million spectators, offering special deals and discounts at a variety of Chicago locations.
The credit card-sized Community Partners card, which is free and valid through Oct. 16, offers discounted products and services, such as $1 off a single scoop of ice cream at Bobtail Ice Cream & Coffee Company in Lakeview. The card also has specials at Downtown Dogs, El Nuevo Mexicano Restaurant, Kiki's Bistro, the Park Grill Restaurant, Ranalli's on Clark, Ranalli's on Lincoln and elsewhere. The card also is beneficial for visits to the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, the Chicago Children's Museum, the Museum of Science & Industry, Steppenwolf Theatre Company and The Joffrey Ballet, among other places.
The card is available at Chicago-area LaSalle Bank branches while supplies last and at the LaSalle Bank kiosk in the Spectator Corridor at the Health & Fitness Expo, scheduled for Oct. 7-8 at McCormick Place.
'Through programs like the Community Partners, the city's involvement is elevated to new levels, engaging the Marathon and embracing it. As a result, each neighborhood feels a positive impact and an economic benefit for local businesses,' said Jim Law, executive director for the Mayor's Office of Special Events.
Added Dorothy Coyle, director for the Chicago Office of Tourism: 'We are really excited about the Community Partners Program, which helps to showcase more than 100 neighborhood locations across the city.
'What we always hear from visitors is that they do want to explore the neighborhoods; they want to see where Chicagoans live; they want to discover the various areas of the city. And the Community Partners Program is going to make it very easy and convenient for them to do that.'
The Community Partners support runners on race day, Oct. 9, with either a rally station to cheer on the runners or hosting another special event at its location during race weekend.
'People come here to run the race, then experience the city, and then come back with their family members or bring other people from the area that they are originating from. So, it really created some opportunities for us to really draw some attention to the neighborhoods,' said Carey Pinkowski, the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon's executive director.
The annual race starts and finishes in Grant Park, and will be broadcast live, starting at 8 a.m., on CBS2 Chicago and ESPN 1000. The race also this year will be broadcast live on TV Tokyo in Japan ( to about 15 million homes ) and on EuroSport to 30 countries in Europe ( 17 million ) , which is the largest distribution of the race ever.
'We just like being a part of an event of this magnitude, and hopefully we can grow our name in the process,' said Jeff Wilcoxon, owner of Bobtail Ice Cream. 'The Community Card program is going to give us great exposure, including on the ( Chicago Marathon ) Web site. When you're a small business, especially one like ours which has been open for only 16 months, any time we get the chance to be a part of a big event like this, and get some free marketing in the process, we'll do it. It just makes sense.'
Added David Reithoffer, volunteer coordinator and past president of Frontrunners Chicago: 'I think the Community Card is a great idea. It gets businesses more aware of the marathon and gets the marathoners more aware of the businesses. It's definitely a beneficial two-way street.'