Watching the Chicago Marathon at UIC
Cheering on the Chicago Marathon runners!
On Sunday morning, I woke up to music and people cheering. The Chicago Marathon is held every year. Thousands of people from the Chicagoland area run 26.2 miles through Chicago’s streets, crossing through several of its diverse neighborhoods. My apartment happens to be on one of the many streets where Chicago Marathon runners cross.
This is my very first year watching the marathon. Last year, I only saw the marathon by coincidence, as it runners passed me on my way to Mariano’s when I was trying to buy breakfast. This year, however, I stood in front of Student Center East and cheered on the runners for three hours.
At a cheering station in front of Student Center East, the UIC Pep Band was performing some popular songs. The Dancing Flames and UIC Cheerleading Team were also there cheering on the runners. UIC’s Student Center East (SCE) was positioned at the 17-mile mark of the marathon, so it took a few hours for the runners to reach this point.
I was looking for a few of my friends participating in the marathon. While watching runners pass by, I made myself busy by filming the UIC Pep Band and UIC Cheerleading team, and even managed to spot my friends who were running. I took pictures of them as they passed by Student Center East. They appreciated my efforts for patiently waiting for them to make it to UIC.
Passing by UIC seemed to motivate the runners to continue the marathon. The UIC Pep Band did an amazing job during the event playing to cheer on the runners and get the crowd excited. I recognized most of the songs by the UIC Pep Band because they played the songs they have performed previously at the basketball games, which I attend regularly. The songs were a fun, familiar pickup for the runners.
Overall, I had a memorable, exciting time watching the marathon from UIC. The good vibes from the UIC community, music from the UIC Pep Band, and the friends I made during those three hours made the experience unforgettable. I am proud that UIC is involved with the Chicago Marathon. After watching the Chicago Marathon for the first time, I would like to run it myself someday in the future.
