As runners lace up and take to the streets, the Chicago Spring Half Marathon and 10K unfolded early Sunday morning against the urban canvas of downtown Chicago. According to WGN-TV, participants started the half marathon at 7 a.m., launching their stride from Columbus Drive, just south of Monroe Street. The scenic 13.1-mile journey embraces the Lakefront Trail, offering a respite from the bustling cityscape.
The 10K event also sprang into action at 7:45 a.m. from the same starting line, injecting energy into the morning’s itinerary. A feature for the younger advocates of running, the Junior Dash, is slated to begin at 10 a.m. at Butler Field. Completing the day’s agenda is the Spring Market Finish Festival, held at Butler Field, reveling from 8 a.m. to noon. Notably, street closures did indeed come into effect, as reported by ABC 7 Chicago. These included a stretch of Monroe Street, Columbus Drive in several segments, and portions of Randolph Street, with scheduled reopening times extending through the afternoon.
As anticipated, such closures brought changes to the city flow. All lanes of Monroe Street from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Columbus Drive were closed (3 a.m.-6 p.m.), alongside the northbound and southbound lanes of Columbus Drive from Randolph to Monroe - the former until noon and the latter until 9 a.m. Additionally, race progress was contingent upon also closing Columbus Drive from Monroe to Roosevelt from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., as detailed by ABC 7 Chicago.
Those seeking to navigate around the downtown area were required to plan accordingly, as both exit ramps from Lake Shore Drive to Randolph and the eastbound lane of intermediate Randolph from Lake Shore Drive to Columbus remained inaccessible until noon.
