Way To Go Tom!

Tom added a big one to his "war stories" chest of running and racing stories today.  He finished one damn hot Chicago Marathon!

He told me that as he reached the 26 mile mark, he said Chicago police and race officials let the runners know the race had been called off due to the extreme heat.  With a few tenths of a mile to go, Tom and those runners around him finished the race and proudly received their finishers medal.

As he called me from the finish area, the sounds of ambulances and other emergencies vehicles were loud in the background.  Many medical personnel had been called in to help the runners suffering from the effects of the heat.  Tom said it was hot, but he finished ok and was feeling ok. His time was not what he had imagined it would be for this marathon but also didn't dream of running a fall marathon with a starting temperature of 76 degrees and a seeing a 95 degree temp as he crossed the finish line.

Congratulations Tom on finishing a marathon on a day built for water sports instead of endurance running events!   You know that I have told you for years that you are my hero - this just seals it!  We can't wait to hear the official race report from you!

And to all the Chicago marathoners that didn't have the opportunity to finish - my thoughts are with you!  Runners don't stop willingly before reaching their goal and I can only imagine the combination of disappointment and defiance as you were told to stop.   You are my heros as well for starting today in conditions that were less than ideal.

Photo by tinkermel

Comments

[kate]

I'm so glad to hear he finished in once piece. From what I've read, it was brutal out there today and while I don't envy it, I have nothing but respect for everyone who participated in those conditions. I know I certainly couldn't have done it. Can't wait to read the race report!

[Taryn]

So glad to hear he was able to finish - and finish without heat stroke! What a day for a marathon, uggh!

[Marcy]

GO TOM!!!! You know I stalked the Chicago peeps :P And I've gotta say, he was pretty darn speedy considering the circumstances. CONGRATS!!!

[david]

The world should have taken a day off from running today! Just as I finished writing about my grueling experience today, reading about the Chicago Marathon makes what I did seem easy. Congrats Tom, and to everyone else who battled their way through this cruel fall heat!

[Bob Allen]

Way to go, Tom. 96° is merciless. I would be a puddle. I think someone must have gotten all of our calendars messed up -- maybe the whole world slept for 9 months and it's really July 2008!

[RunJulieRun]

Way to go Tom!

I'm glad you are okay.

[Bill Carter]

Amy

Please give Tom my most sincere Congratulations! As we all know so well, long races like marathons and triathalons are so challenging under even the best conditions. When you finish a race like this year's Chicago, you have really accomplished something amazing.
I was thinking about him this morning and hoping that he would do ok and have enough experience to pace himself and not push too hard under such difficult conditions. Tom certainly knew what to do.

[Nat]

Glad he's ok. Kudos to him for finishing. Wow.

[Derek]

Congrats Tom! You must have actualy gotten some of the mythical fludis that were rumored to be on the course (all I saw were tipped over tables). You are amazing.

I made it to just where the guy from Michigan (who died) made it and was told to head back.

[Colleen]

Congrats Tom! What a "FUN" race that was, huh? I think I'll keep this one of the memory bank. Plus, I have now learned that I will never ever run a marathon in 80+ degree temps again - one marathon like this was more then enough! Great job today!

[Database Diva]

Congratulations Tom! This sounds like a brutal event. I hope it wasn't quite as bad as the news stories made it sound. More importantly, I hope that you had another wonderful weekend with your daughter and her friend.

[Brian]

Wow, great that he finished. I don't know how I would react to being told I had to stop, and not because I was too slow, but because it was too hot. That would really irk me. I hope there weren't too many people this happened to. Of course, if stopping the marathon saved at least one person from something serious happening to them, then it would have been worth it.

[Runnin' Ragged]

Congratulations Tom for finishing! We had rl friends running in it and when we found out their pace was +2 hours behind their regular running time due to the heat, I was hoping that you would be able to finish. Way to go!

[Bob]

Great job Tom! Special medals and extra days off for that one!! We had 8 people from our local running club up there. It will be interesting to hear their stories!

[Andria]

Wow, I've been out of the loop and just now am starting to read BRF's stories of how Chicago went. Congrats of finishing Tom. Glad you made it through safe and sound.