http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-7...hi_tab01_layout
1 dies in heat-shortened marathon
302 runners hospitalized, officials say
By Josh Noel, Shannon Ryan and Neil Milbert | Tribune staff reporters
3:12 PM CDT, October 7, 2007
Update: 1 runner has died, the Cook County Medical Examiner's office has confirmed. More details to come.
With temperatures soaring to 88 degrees Sunday, city and race officials closed the LaSalle Bank Marathon course at the halfway point at about 11:30 a.m.--three and a half hours after the start.
Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said 302 runners were hospitalized with what he described as heat-related conditions. In a 2 p.m. briefing, Langford said most of the cases weren't considered serious.
Marathon officials estimate about 4,000 runners out of the original 36,000 finished the full distance. It was the hottest day in the 30-year history of Chicago's marathon.
The news of the race's early ending was met with disappointment and relief as many had succumbed to the heat.
"It's a blessing, man," said Nestor Benanidez, 40, of Maryland. "I'd have liked the opportunity but it's brutally hot." Benanidez, who trained 18 weeks for his first marathon, said he had already started walking when the race was called.
"Why did they cancel it at Mile 20? Couldn't they cancel it at Mile 5," said Arzu Karimova, 28, a market researcher from Chicago. "I put my entire summer into this. My entire marathon is gone. I'll never have another first marathon experience."
At around 12:10 p.m., near the 20-mile marker at Halsted Street and Cermak Avenues, a Chicago firefighter announced over a public address system: "Attention runners, the marathon has been canceled. You can stop running, now."
Runners' efforts were applauded with a sporadic "good job" as another firefighter stood in the middle of the street hosing down participants.
Most people heeded the advice but a few stubborn runners continued down Archer Avenue, which was littered with cups, water, sponges and bottles. The fire hydrants along the route were also open.
The decision to halt the marathon was based on the slow times of runners. Those who had passed the halfway point around noon were permitted to continue and had access to all aid stations and medical assistance.
Some runners said there were problems with water and fluids at the race stations, but others said water wasn't a problem. It was just the heat.
"I'm a school teacher. I don't like dropping out," said Joan Berman, 70, of Ann Arbor, Mich., who called it quits at the 8-mile mark. "But I know when to have to take a recess."
Berman has run 17 marathons, seven in Chicago, all since turning 60.