Cheer on Chicago Marathon runners racing by UIC

Cheer on Chicago Marathon runners Sunday as they race past the UIC campus.

UIC will host the International Run Club Cheer Station at Harrison Field, corner of Halsted and Harrison streets, supporting more than 45,000 runners in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a 26.2-mile race through nearly 30 Chicago neighborhoods.

“It’s great for our students to see such an international event here on campus, and it really makes us feel like a great partner to Chicago,” said Joy Vergara, director of the UIC Center for Student Involvement.

UIC spectators will be joined by a live DJ, UIC mascot Sparky, the UIC Dancing Flames, UIC Pep Band and more. Participants can gather at the UIC tent from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday to create signs of support for the runners.

UIC’s marathon cheerleaders will help encourage runners to keep going strong as they reach miles 17 and 18 of the race, Vergara said.

“We want to welcome all of these great runners and cheer them on through such a tough part of the race,” she said.