With tens of thousands of runners making final preparations ahead of the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, city officials are getting ready for another massive event that showcases the Windy City to a global audience.
Of the approximately 50,000 runners taking to the 26.2-mile course through Chicago this year, 35% are from international locations.
Rita Cook, the Chicago President for Bank of America, estimates that the race will pump approximately $500 million into the local economy.
“They are staying at our hotels, eating at our restaurants, enjoying our beautiful cultural institutions,” Cook said.
In comparison, Lollapalooza generated an estimated $247 million for the city in 2019, while the NASCAR Chicago Street Race brought in approximately $128 million for the city in 2023.
Carey Pinkowski, the marathon's executive race director, said runners are discovering the city on their visits to Chicago to compete.
"A percentage of our participants have never been here before. They come here a few days early, they bring their family members, their loved ones, their significant others, their partners in the whole training process," Pinkowski said.
Though elite runners and many others are competing for their personal passion of the sport, many others are running on behalf of a charitable cause.
According to Bank of America, 16,000 of the approximately 50,000 runners in 2024 are doing so for a cause, and are expected to raise an estimated $30.4 million.
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"I usually tell people that if you are not a runner or a spectator, you have been impacted by one of the causes they are running for, or you care about one of those causes," Cook said.
Pinkowski said that a record number of runners are doing so for charity in 2024.
"This money goes directly to these wonderful organizations that are doing some amazing work," Pinkowski said.
