By the Numbers: The 40th Anniversary of the Chicago Marathon
If you like numbers, this one's for you.
We got access to the official 40th anniversary edition of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon media guide, so we decided to have a bit of fun with it. This handy media guide gives us a look at the Chicago Marathon by the numbers, that otherwise would get overlooked. For example, did you know the marathon gives out 75,000 bananas on race day? Probably not. Below is some more big data. Enjoy.
People
Field size (approx.): 40,000
Finishers in 2016: 39,313
Largest finisher field (2014): 40,659
Finishers since 1977: 741,021
Abbott Health & Fitness Expo attendees: 140,000
Race day volunteers: 12,000
Medical personnel: 1,500
Course marshals: 400
Massage therapists: 400
Media credentials: 400
Estimated on-course spectators: 1.7 million
International runners: 10,000
Charity runners: 10,000
Nike+ Run Club Pacers: 100
Geography
Official Chicago neighborhoods (on course): 29
Countries represented: 129
U.S. States represented: 50
Food and beverages
Aid stations: 20
Gatorade Endurance Formula (gallons): 48,000
Water (gallons): 77,760
Gatorade Endurance Energy Gels (individual packets): 56,000
ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars: 57,000
Bananas: 75,000
Granola bars: 70,000
Chips (individual bags): 47,000
Belvita Breakfast Biscuits: 47,000
Charity Program
Charity teams: 173
Charity dollars raised in 2016: $16.9 million
Charity dollars raised since 2002: $167 million
Other materials
Official programs: 75,000
Spectator guides: 120,000
Street pole banners: 450
Port-a-potties: 1,500
Safety pins: 200,000
Water cups: 1.3 million
Gatorade cups: 1.1 million
Heat sheets: 41,000
Trash bags: 4,000 clear trash bags
Bank of America Chicago Marathon prize purse
Open division men/women
1st: $100,000
2nd: $75,000
3rd: $50,000
4th: $30,000
5th: $25,000
Wheelchair division men/women
1st: $15,000
2nd: $10,000
3rd: $8,000
4th: $6,000
5th: $4,000
6th: $2,500
7th: $1,500
8th: $1,000
9th: $750
10th: $500
American division men/women
1st: $15,000
2nd: $12,000
3rd: $10,000
4th: $5,000
5th: $4,500
6th: $3,000
7th: $2,500
8th: $1,500
9th: $1,000
10th: $500
Illinois division men/women
1st: $3,000
2nd: $2,500
3rd: $2,000
4th: $1,500
5th: $1,000
Masters division men/women
1st: $2,000
2nd: $1,750
3rd: $1,500
4th: $1,250
5th: $1,000
Total prize purse: $803,500
Time bonuses
Open division men
Course Record: 2:03:45: $75,000
Open division women
Course Record: 2:17:18: $75,000
Wheelchair division men
Course Record: 1:26:56: $5,000
Wheelchair division women
Course Record: 1:41:10: $5,000
Participant demographics
Female/male breakdowns by age group
| Gender | Description | Percentage of field |
|---|---|---|
| M | 16 to 19 | 0.27% |
| M | 20 to 24 | 1.83% |
| M | 25 to 29 | 5.61% |
| M | 30 to 34 | 7.44% |
| M | 35 to 39 | 8.50% |
| M | 40 to 44 | 8.63% |
| M | 45 to 49 | 7.53% |
| M | 50 to 54 | 5.19% |
| M | 55 to 59 | 3.18% |
| M | 60 to 64 | 1.62% |
| M | 65 to 69 | 0.69% |
| M | 70 to 74 | 0.22% |
| M | 75 to 79 | 0.04% |
| M | 80 and older | 0.02% |
Total: 50.79%
Average male age: 41.1
| Gender | Description | Percentage of field |
|---|---|---|
| W | 16 to 19 | 0.30% |
| W | 20 to 24 | 3.34% |
| W | 25 to 29 | 8.26% |
| W | 30 to 34 | 8.49% |
| W | 35 to 39 | 8.34% |
| W | 40 to 44 | 8.06% |
| W | 45 to 49 | 5.93% |
| W | 50 to 54 | 3.66% |
| W | 55 to 59 | 1.76% |
| W | 60 to 64 | 0.76% |
| W | 65 to 69 | 0.24% |
| W | 70 to 74 | 0.06% |
| W | 75 to 79 | 0.01% |
| W | 80 and older | 0.00% |
Total: 49.21%
Average female age: 37.9
Participants by state
| State | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 185 | 171 | 158 | 102 | 135 | 122 | 129 | 95 | 159 | 148 | 145 |
| Alaska | 58 | 47 | 36 | 37 | 25 | 38 | 57 | 23 | 54 | 29 | 36 |
| Arizona | 273 | 226 | 188 | 177 | 123 | 217 | 162 | 152 | 158 | 176 | 191 |
| Arkansas | 133 | 99 | 85 | 92 | 59 | 136 | 90 | 135 | 106 | 85 | 118 |
| California | 2,540 | 2,208 | 1,681 | 1,484 | 1,074 | 1,535 | 1,131 | 1,155 | 1,042 | 1,218 | 1,210 |
| Colorado | 778 | 633 | 526 | 467 | 478 | 645 | 567 | 533 | 570 | 607 | 735 |
| Connecticut | 376 | 305 | 198 | 190 | 172 | 247 | 196 | 171 | 197 | 184 | 188 |
| Delaware | 55 | 36 | 30 | 31 | 14 | 37 | 27 | 25 | 31 | 45 | 39 |
| Florida | 1,762 | 1,559 | 1,327 | 1,002 | 990 | 1,106 | 962 | 939 | 989 | 1,030 | 1,185 |
| Georgia | 812 | 769 | 596 | 515 | 477 | 563 | 502 | 487 | 604 | 688 | 646 |
| Hawaii | 32 | 30 | 28 | 47 | 22 | 36 | 19 | 39 | 21 | 26 | 25 |
| Idaho | 28 | 35 | 36 | 22 | 26 | 38 | 48 | 23 | 41 | 37 | 35 |
| Illinois | 20,912 | 21,337 | 16,796 | 17,317 | 18,623 | 22,458 | 19,233 | 19,408 | 19,172 | 20,973 | 18,084 |
| Indiana | 1,473 | 1,500 | 1,333 | 1,332 | 1,360 | 1,763 | 1,654 | 1,628 | 1,605 | 1,627 | 1,409 |
| Iowa | 628 | 579 | 535 | 491 | 566 | 799 | 785 | 729 | 982 | 720 | 581 |
| Kansas | 360 | 252 | 247 | 221 | 282 | 295 | 301 | 300 | 352 | 363 | 361 |
| Kentucky | 327 | 326 | 240 | 227 | 267 | 294 | 297 | 339 | 344 | 312 | 209 |
| Louisiana | 119 | 142 | 78 | 68 | 88 | 84 | 57 | 77 | 112 | 71 | 99 |
| Maine | 63 | 47 | 38 | 36 | 43 | 58 | 41 | 39 | 44 | 25 | 32 |
| Maryland | 601 | 442 | 320 | 234 | 244 | 303 | 292 | 284 | 253 | 285 | 283 |
| Massachusetts | 1,980 | 1,699 | 1,456 | 934 | 758 | 890 | 791 | 755 | 840 | 812 | 858 |
| Michigan | 1,491 | 1,290 | 1,262 | 1,104 | 1,192 | 2,309 | 1,518 | 1,647 | 1,628 | 1,733 | 1,513 |
| Minnesota | 652 | 534 | 538 | 529 | 418 | 670 | 537 | 545 | 609 | 629 | 564 |
| Mississippi | 63 | 54 | 51 | 58 | 87 | 61 | 56 | 48 | 64 | 459 | 222 |
| Missouri | 743 | 633 | 569 | 497 | 524 | 783 | 647 | 796 | 1,010 | 1,047 | 926 |
| Montana | 28 | 21 | 20 | 13 | 17 | 41 | 41 | 22 | 27 | 31 | 28 |
| Nebraska | 150 | 133 | 118 | 127 | 130 | 193 | 184 | 169 | 191 | 193 | 162 |
| Nevada | 83 | 82 | 64 | 42 | 33 | 55 | 60 | 36 | 36 | 39 | 64 |
| New Hampshire | 221 | 131 | 123 | 90 | 61 | 88 | 79 | 64 | 56 | 177 | 71 |
| New Jersey | 1,011 | 682 | 489 | 373 | 271 | 404 | 322 | 349 | 280 | 330 | 364 |
| New Mexico | 67 | 60 | 61 | 46 | 44 | 78 | 69 | 69 | 65 | 55 | 56 |
| New York | 3,486 | 2,515 | 1,802 | 1,343 | 1,155 | 1,487 | 1,170 | 1,242 | 1,058 | 1,184 | 1,095 |
| North Carolina | 878 | 681 | 592 | 398 | 449 | 452 | 433 | 445 | 482 | 464 | 415 |
| North Dakota | 55 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 18 | 39 | 16 | 21 | 12 | 27 |
| Ohio | 876 | 854 | 778 | 735 | 692 | 935 | 805 | 791 | 930 | 865 | 778 |
| Oklahoma | 190 | 209 | 147 | 136 | 133 | 168 | 135 | 136 | 95 | 123 | 98 |
| Oregon | 187 | 198 | 165 | 133 | 136 | 112 | 150 | 106 | 112 | 99 | 100 |
| Pennsylvania | 752 | 644 | 493 | 399 | 383 | 399 | 354 | 392 | 322 | 408 | 365 |
| Rhode Island | 100 | 75 | 45 | 37 | 31 | 30 | 22 | 49 | 32 | 47 | 33 |
| South Carolina | 210 | 194 | 165 | 100 | 117 | 151 | 123 | 181 | 136 | 170 | 147 |
| South Dakota | 49 | 34 | 28 | 28 | 34 | 56 | 43 | 49 | 47 | 22 | 30 |
| Tennessee | 402 | 453 | 341 | 259 | 277 | 404 | 282 | 305 | 374 | 278 | 280 |
| Texas | 1,735 | 1,798 | 1,410 | 1,096 | 983 | 1,218 | 1,080 | 1,264 | 1,136 | 991 | 1,076 |
| Utah | 86 | 86 | 58 | 56 | 24 | 49 | 57 | 66 | 47 | 56 | 27 |
| Vermont | 31 | 658 | 41 | 27 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 30 | 67 | 27 | 38 |
| Virginia | 794 | 33 | 435 | 374 | 301 | 419 | 421 | 366 | 453 | 441 | 435 |
| Washington | 519 | 379 | 274 | 236 | 229 | 325 | 228 | 240 | 247 | 245 | 236 |
| Washington D.C. | 291 | 328 | 257 | 202 | 156 | 222 | 34 | 150 | 172 | 190 | 156 |
| West Virginia | 41 | 36 | 28 | 21 | 41 | 44 | 299 | 22 | 34 | 20 | 37 |
| Wisconsin | 1,109 | 1,013 | 908 | 933 | 936 | 1,259 | 1,142 | 1,136 | 1,340 | 1,276 | 1,169 |
| Wyoming | 15 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 18 | 10 | 20 | 21 | 14 | 11 |
Participants by country
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