Race fans, don’t get caught flat-footed with this year’s 26.2 taking place throughout the city this Sunday.

But what if you’re not actually running? As a fan, you have an important role to play in lining the course throughout the 29 Chicago neighborhoods that are part of the route.

So let’s get you where you need to go.

Ride the CTA or Metra 

Take public transportation and load up that Ventra card -- the payment system that is used by both the Metra rail and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) buses and trains.

You can buy a card at O’Hare International Airport when getting into town, or download it as an app.  

Now that you know Ventra is not the size of your drink order...you’re ready to figure out how and where you need to go to watch runners.  

Where to Watch Along the Route

Most lines have extra trains and longer trains, and there are great points along the course that dovetail with CTA train stops.

The Start and Finish line in Grant Park is accessible on multiple lines. Bonus points for checking out the relatively new 'Dino rib' design of the Washington/Wabash Station (WaWa), which can be accessed via the Brown, Green, Orange and Pink lines stop.

On the North Side, take the Red Line to the Belmont stop and walk a couple blocks to the corner of Aldine and Broadway.  If I'm being specific, it's because that's the precise spot of the North Halsted Aid Station. There, you'll find two stages packed with performers in drag and a DJ. It's early in the race, too -- just past Mile 8 -- which means runners are still feeling happy.

Another one of my favorite spots is Pilsen. Take the Pink line to 18th to get there and enjoy a bite to eat while the runners come up to Mile 19. Mount Roosevelt is notorious known as one of the toughest parts of an otherwise flat course, so bring a cowbell after taking the Red, Orange, or Green line to Roosevelt, and get those runners through the last .2 of the race.

Ride the Metra

Metra is providing additional service on four lines from various suburbs.

A note on cost: Prices for the CTA and Metra are the lowest they've been in years. There is still a $5 day pass on CTA, and a $7 day pass for Metra.

If you have other events on Saturday -- like the Abbott 5k race -- you can buy a $10 weekend pass on the system.

Ride Share

Divvy bikes are a good option, too. With the Lyft app, you can find each station and see the number of open bike docks.

For ride shares this year, race organizers are trying to cut down on ride share chaos with official drop points for runners coming into Grant Park around 7 a.m.

For spectators using ride share, tell your driver to stay west of State street downtown.

There’s an X factor here on Sunday evening that I need to mention -- or perhaps I should say, ‘H’ factor: Harry Styles is playing the United Center Sunday evening, which will bring even more more people down to the West Loop and the Near West Side for dinner and drinks in the afternoon and evening. 

The road closures will be picked up by then -- except for the streets in Grant Park -- so it will be normally congested. You'll be smart to plan for extra travel time Sunday night just to be sure you are stylin’ (and not stressin').