Those making their way around some parts of Chicago may have noticed something a little different in recent days: a dashed blue line painted along some city streets.
With the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon quickly approaching, the blue line bears significance for those running in the city's biggest race of the year this coming Sunday.
The blue line appears throughout the marathon's 26.2-mile course, denoting the "most direct, fastest way" to the finish line, while also acting as the official measurement taken by city and race experts to ensure the Bank of America Chicago Marathon course is exact.
The blue dashed line runs from the marathon start line, across the 26.2-mile course and to the finish line.
Whether you're an elite runner or a novice tackling the race for the first time, that blue line will help you go the (least) distance on Sunday, Oct. 8, so stick as close as possible.
In the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the average finish time for runners was just over four hours and 29 minutes, a decrease of more than 13 minutes from the average finish time for runners in 2021.
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