Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Chicago will once again produce its award-winning water station for this year's LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2003. The theme is Wizard of Oz—200 volunteers are registered to help at the water station.
This year's water station will be at a new location, Broadway and Melrose. The station has moved north from its former location of Broadway and Wellington because the racecourse will now go up to Addison instead of Belmont as in past years.
The entire strip of Broadway from Addison to Belmont will be one huge festival of activities, including the Lakeside Pride Band performing at Addison and Broadway, a circus-style calliope in the Treasure Island parking lot, the Broadway United Methodist Church Choir on the sidewalk in front of their church singing, 'Guide My Feet While I Run This Race,' an African-American spiritual, the ROTC precision drill team performing in front of The Closet, and last but not least, the Frontrunners water station, which will include the world-famous male cheerleaders along with their fab dancers and other entertainers.
In addition, the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a variety of events, including a Cher look-alike cheering contest for marathon morning. Contact Maureen Martino, Director of the Chamber, at 773-348-8608, ext. 13 for details. Included in the Chamber's activities will be two drawings on marathon morning at the Melrose Restaurant to win two $250 shopping sprees in the Lakeview East neighborhood.
AIDS Foundation of Chicago runners will also be participating, capping off months of special training [www.aidsmarathon.com].
Four elite runners will share their experiences in a presentation and Q&A with Nettelhorst school students Friday, Oct. 10, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 3252 N. Broadway. Athletes from Kenya and Australia will discuss: growing up in Kenya and Australia, how and why they started running, training (these athletes typically run in excess of 140 miles per week). The entire student body will be decked out in LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon T-shirts to welcome the runners.
Party in the street: Sunday, Oct. 12, first runners will pass through the water station at approximately 8:30 a.m. Last runners will pass through at approx. 10:15 a.m. Forty thousand runners are registered, which makes this the largest marathon in the world. CBS 2 TV and ESPN 1000 radio will broadcast live.