Chicago Marathon Race Recap 2021

[@javierquintero9640]

I thought I was just having an off day, but it turns out it was hard for everyone. I hope to come back in a year or two to get my revenge on this course. The crowds were awesome and the course itself was really fun.

[@kofuzi]

Nothing like a good redemption race

[@venkatakolla6057]

I too had same thoughts. After 16 weeks of efforts just off plan due to cramp and ended 30 min off. I want to take on this course next time and crush it. The weather is too wierd

[@amaditadicochea7502]

Exactly the same thoughts for me too! I kept seeing the same runners around me the entire course and I just felt like we were all struggling. But glad we made it! And I definitely want to come back and hopefully get a better time. This race is so awesome. I was surprised to see spectators the entire way! And the volunteers kept encouraging me! Si se puede!

[@RUN_RGB]

I was just happy I finished and I was smiling at the end, despite the massive cramp at 35K. I will say it was very scary to see so many runners collapsed at mile 25/26 and at the finish. Very scary indeed. Congratulations to everyone that finished. To those who didn't, I hope they're well now 🙏🏼

[@EDDBUD]

Great job Sir! Especially in the heat. This video gave me some positive vibes. Especially in this arm sling. 👍🏼🏃🏻‍♂️😊

[@ianlowe4126]

So Kafuzi you ran Chicago in those conditions while carrying a camera while making a video for us and taking care to get all the best shots for us while not forgetting to say hello to all the people you know and all the you don’t know but they know you and still cross the finish in 3:14!! Are you kidding me !!?? I would give my right arm ( not my leg!) to get within an hour of that. Truely awesome man 👏👏 hope to join you on the start line next year ( I’ll be in a coral behind you 😂) Ian 🇬🇧

[@Wgravelle]

My sub-2:30 attempt quickly became a 2:45 day in Chicago this weekend. I partially blame the weather, and partially overtraining on my part. Lessons learned for next time, but I suppose we can only control what we can control. I think I might hop in Indy in four weeks from now for redemption. Time aside, I wish I could have come out to your shakeout, it’s a shame I couldn’t. These big city marathons are so inspiring, and your run motivation video from last week is really helping me to maintain a positive attitude about it. It was a really awesome event even if I missed out on my goals. There’s always the next one :)

[@kretz3511]

I ran Chicago in 2007. Lots of ambulance sirens, paramedics, and runners laying down due to heat on the race course. Very unnerving. The lack of water was an issue for sure coupled with 90+ degree temps and sun. At one point, I recall walking into a 7/11 during the race and buying water for me and the person I was running with. **Always carry cash** That said, since it's Chicago and my hometown, we could have easily had 2 inches of snow that past Sunday as well. Congrats to those that ran Sunday. Such great content on this channel.

[@ThatRunningGuy]

Enjoyed that👍 Recap videos are great for the viewer and ourselves. After a day or so our minds are much clearer. Breaking down the race definitely helps with learning and growing as a runner.

[@kofuzi]

For sure. The race recaps are definitely more for me than they are for anyone else. But I hope it’s helpful to share my nonelite perspective

[@DavidKeyson]

Great work. If you're looking for a pretty underrated marathon, you can't go wrong with the El Paso marathon in February. Smaller population, good competition, great community.

[@young-spark]

Awesome recap! My wife and I flew in from Toronto. She's not a subscriber (she is now) and we had a blast at the shakeout run! I met people who flew/drove from Singapore, NY, Detroit, etc. Craziest thing I saw at the race was seeing people running in barefeet or with rubber sandals.

[@hectormoraga3780]

Reviewing your story ahead of 2022 Chicago Marathon....thanks so much for all your comments & advices.... A big hug from 🇨🇱.. I'm going for 3'15 at my 53's next october 9th.....so..the best thing is to view tha Chicago's Guru out there!!! 🤞🏃‍♂️😁🤗

[@dariovincent7725]

Great recap. I pretty much followed the race strategy you had outlined before the race. Not my best finish, but like you I did the best I could on that day. I am the runner your arrow flags at minute 17:26. It was a lot of fun running.

[@macau.friend]

Doesn’t matter what your time is. The fact that you captured everything and shared the journey with everyone is quite an achievement in and of itself. For that, I am thankful.

[@timsullivan8414]

Great perspective on the day, Mike. The weather killed my BQ aspirations, but the crowd and volunteer support is without equal! The Chicago Marathon always gives me chills!

[@ranran3578]

The condition is really brutal. After 6 miles I know I can’t hold my goal pace then I decided to step back and just run with feel and enjoy the race. After that I did quite well and have fast finish. The spectators are world-class. It’s thrilling , when I reached at 25 mile mark and interacting with them, we yell “we got this” together! Overall I definitely enjoy the race very much!!!!

[@0029Almorkie]

There is nothing like having a section of the course to yourself. All the people cheer you on! One time, I was running the SF Marathon. Past mile 20, the course split ahead of me, the volunteers directed me to an alternate route. A minute passed, I realized that there was no one ahead of me. I looked back and saw that the remaining runners were a bit far back. All the spectators cheered me on! It was as if I was the leader and the chase pack was behind haha. Even though this moment lasted only a couple of minutes, it was glorious to feel like an elite runner or superstar while it lasted. Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@juansebastianpaez7389]

Hi Kofuzi, I’m a big fan of your posts, I also ran the Chicago Marathon but wasn’t lucky enough to meet you. Greetings from Colombia

[@dewaynescott5114]

Mike I did the 40th Running of the Chicago Marathon. You are the only reason I am considering coming back. Thank you for being an unofficial ambassador for all run/tri events chicago.

[@TheAcboston]

Ran in to you after the race in the finishers area. I asked how you did and you told me you had fun. You might not have realized it but it gave me some perspective on what was a tough day out there.. I fell short of my goal but did well all things considered with Mother Nature. Love your content and it was great to meet you. Cheers.

[@dong8174]

Once again great job on the 3:14 and keep looking ahead to the next race. I truly believe you can break 3 hours in the marathon. How do I know this? I'm a couple years older, run similar paces, but actually am getting faster with age and more miles! I've only run two marathons myself (3:29 PB) with the last one in 2009. Trained hard for my local marathon in 2020 but Covid canceled it. In 2021 a downpour the night before flooded the southern part of the course so they threw us all in the half marathon! Ran a 1:33 with relative ease so all I'm thinking about now is the 2022 race and the adjustments necessary to break 3 hours. Like you said, you can't control the conditions so all you can do is show up and give 100%. Keep positive and keep moving forward!

[@brittanyberzin7142]

Almost a mile extra does seem like a lot 😆 I ran Chicago too and it was really interesting to hear you debrief. Makes me feel better that I haven’t heard anyone yet say Chicago went as expected. I think I really underestimated the effect the humidity would have.

[@safwanh]

This was my first marathon and truly enjoyed the experience. So happy to discover this channel and running community especially as a new citizen of the greater Chicago area. The training runs during the summer definitely helped mimic the degree of heat/humidity of race day. I, like many others, held back cramps the last 5 miles but was able to power through and achieve my sub-4 goal. That last mile looked like a war zone with people stopping, stretching, and trying to collect themselves to the finish line. Congrats to all of you and hope to catch you at one of the group runs by the lake!

[@kofuzi]

congratulations on your finish! great job!

[@CristianHernandez-mi3bg]

This was my first marathon ! I loved Chicago! Saw you on the finish line, but I was way to exhausted to say hi 😅!

[@paulcain9442]

Very honest review of Chicago. More favourable weather conditions and discipline at maintaining pace will take minutes off your time at CIM. Be interesting to see on Stryd adding humidity/temp would it have predicted your finish time? I’ve found it’s pretty accurate, even when I think I can go quicker

[@Run_Farah_Run]

And yes, Kofuzi Run Club is awesome! I still talk to some of the guys I met when you had it in Houston! Hope to meet more of you all in Chicago for the marathon in 2022!

[@leejoycechung2162]

Great recap kofuzi….enjoyed watching your insights…thanks for all the motivation and hope to meet you one day. Take care and hope your recovery goes well.

[@chu88y1]

i ran today in 62 degrees....still warm. But if it gets cold my legs feel stiff. Great Race and Video!

[@thomasmichaels6850]

Having moved from San Diego to Maryland, I can attest to to the humidity being harder on you than the heat. I want to be ready to run this race in 2022. It looks like such a blast! FWIW, I'll be 64, so finishing is the goal.

[@ucambo1]

Congratulations Kofuzi! Your videos have inspired me to become a runner. I have started to finally slowly incorporate running into my weekly workouts. Love your videos and keep pumping out these awesome videos!

[@Run_Farah_Run]

Ugh the heat and especially the humidity. That’s basically our training weather in the summer. Not fun. But you did great!

[@colinlehman2816]

Good recap! I'll be racing Chicago next year. Hopefully cooler weather will be in store in 2022😉

[@melidalopez8646]

Same here fingers crossed 🤞🏻

[@m.r.6264]

I had that same thing with "overrunning" the distance at Twin Cities that you did at Chicago. It seems pretty hard, especially in the early miles, when you are around a lot of people and you're trying to take the shortest path. Great job on completing Chicago under harsh running conditions!

[@rachels1845]

Chicago 2021 was my first ever marathon, and I knew it was going to be hot and humid. I just picked a slow and comfortable pace and didn’t push myself too much so that I could enjoy the experience. I dumped water on myself at every aid station, and consistently sipped water. I definitely feel like this was the right approach. I didn’t have any issues whatsoever, but my time was almost 5 hours.

[@ohaiitsarielle]

Plan A goal: Sub 3:48 Plan B: Sub 4 Plan C: Just finish the race. Final time? 3:59:25 I'm glad that I'm not alone in that this was a rough race. My legs got the life sucked of them around mile 7 and then my Plan A quickly turned into Plan B. I was getting so down on myself after the race (post-run happy tears included) and my running buddies had to calm me down. They were like "Girl! You ran a sub 4!! You should be proud of yourself!" I'm from Seattle and when we get hot weather, it's dry heat. I typically don't run in humid weather, so this was a definite challenge. I'll be posting my own vlog of the Chicago marathon and I would be honored if you would watch it 🤩

[@astonward339]

Congrats, I had a similar game plan.

[@joyridaz]

So glad the big races are back! That was probably similar to your first marathon, in terms of the excitement and kinda forgetting what racing is like after a couple yrs of pandemic-ing…. CIM is gonna be great for you!

[@kofuzi]

I can't wait!

[@astonward339]

This recap was spot on. One of the tougher runs for sure.

[@srivatsansathyamurthy8736]

Congratulations A great sum up. This was my first road race and I was so thrilled to be part of such an amazing experience. The weather was an interesting twist but I was so glad it was not sunny all the way through. I have used your race summaries so many times to understand what might work for me. Thank you so much for all the wonderful stuff you do.

[@colbybuchanan1768]

This was my first marathon so I didn’t know the difference between too hot and humid and what it normally feels like. I’ve been running all summer in hot weather and kind of liked the hot/muggy feeling. Kofuzi thank you for another amazing recap!! Love the videos 👍🏾👌🏾!!

[@tnan123]

Great job man! Love recap videos :D Really inspiring.

[@kofuzi]

Thanks for watching!

[@1519Spring]

Happy for you. There's not time for "quite a bit" of anything between now and CIM. Tweaking your training is right. Temper your expectations and have fun at CIM, too. You're still a (relatively) young man.

[@MangoRunner]

We can't control the weather. I remember the humid and warm weather hit Boston when I ran it. I didn't adjust my pace and my legs locked up the last 2 miles. Wasn't good. :D You ran a great time in a humid and warm weather. Congrats man!

[@scottarmsteadel2233]

Congratulations Mike!!

[@jamjam7568]

Great breakdown. Thanks for sharing the internal thoughts runners have during a race. A lot happens in your head during those hours and the days leading up.

[@saragonmcenany6229]

Well done bro Ko and thanks for the fantastic coverage. Decent time too in the heat with hydration challenges. How long will it take to recover, try that cryotherapy for a boosted recovery. The weather seemed bothersome windy & humid city - Boston marathon definitely looked more optimal weatherwise. Shoes - personally I like Endorphin Pro but everyone has different foot shape running geometry etc so its always individual needs.

[@timtrenholm3698]

Just plan your race with your Stryd. Get the course file (from Strava) for the elevation, input the projected temp/humidity for the day, and break down your power numbers for the various sections of the race and just stick to those numbers. Now....will this work for CIM and all that downhill...that's a good question. Great result for the Chicago 2021, hope you nail the CIM training block and get that A goal!

[@kofuzi]

Thanks for the support! Come December, I’ll be giving it everything.

[@krogers104]

Haven’t ever did a marathon, but I can definitely relate to heat and humidity being in the south.

[@wengezhu1]

Great Job! If I had to hold a GoPro all the time in a race, I would say it would slow me down at least a min, if not more.

“My old bad habit od running away from people.” On a philosophical level, I feel the same, bro.

[@endokrin7897]

LOL 😐

[@kofuzi]

it's so true on a lot of levels

[@sandralee7862]

Thanks. Enjoyed watching this. I wanted to join your shake out run but instead ran from my hotel to corral so I know how to get there on Sunday morning. I’m running CIM too and hope to see and find you in December!

[@kofuzi]

hope to see you there!

[@sandralee7862]

@@kofuzi I know it's too early to check the weather, 45/55. CIM can be very pleasant one or very cold with rain too. I've had two nice ones so far.

[@TracyK6066]

I watched the Boston marathon in person last monday and I counted about 10 Metaspeed sky's (or they could have been the Metaspeed Edge, they look pretty similar). Great job especially on a hot day!

[@DaedalusLabyrinth]

Interesting insights. Will be sure to check your channel again. Discovered it about a year ago but have to admit I got sucked in to some other running channels that I have followed since.

[@alanorcharton8855]

Great job! I noticed during a half marathon using the Stryd pod that my distance was off - I think it was the lace angle of the vaporfly. If the pod is not Centre there can be odd readings. Though meta speed sky should be ok.

[@jamiewright4704]

One of the best bloggers on utube.great video run coverage.

[@jamiewright4704]

🇬🇧🇨🇦🇺🇲

[@kofuzi]

Thank you 🙏

[@cebukid70]

I saw your splits and there were zero signs of bonk.... Your training has paid off!!

[@endokrin7897]

Yeah that's a great point. Besides a couple miles being faster than 7:00, which he explained as getting excited, his pacing was really steady. Certainly he did not "hit the wall" at any one place. And if he did, he's learned how to run through it! Miles 24-25 might have been a bit slow, but definitely not hitting a wall or bonking.

[@sun.2801]

Wow, way to get through a marathon in such tough conditions!! 👏👏 that beer at the end sure looked good! Hope to run Chicago in the near future.

[@garyf2871]

Ahhh..yes I remember 2019. My 1st ever marathon being at Chicago. I wasn't use to the cold and remember those hard wind gust b/w mile 13 and 14 just being miserable, until things warmed up at the later miles.

[@blakelandry]

I knew by Friday, that due to the weather, that pre-planned race pace would have to be dialed back 20-30 secs/mile. So, I signed up for Indy Monumental in 4 weeks, and treated Chicago as a last long run workout and testing out nutrition and clothing.

[@dubrow377]

Thank you for bringing this year’s Chicago Marathon to us all, Kofuzi! You are artful in your content delivery while doing it all with such humility!

[@kofuzi]

thank you. it is my pleasure and a privilege to do so

[@julioriveras1717]

Omg, I take off to fast,so much to learn about race a distance like this. Cramps also are very very bad 😧 but what a amazing feeling.

[@tonybowen455]

Surprised how long this vid was, time flew by! Still a solid time considering and plus with a gopro! And you got to learn so much which seems like fun, and go kofuzi run club!

[@kofuzi]

Thanks for watching to the end!

[@gokiwi2642]

Great marathon recap, looks like it was heaps of fun, sounds like you did everything right for the conditions on the day, I’m always amazed how you can run at a good pace carrying the camera stick, awesome work kofuzi 🥳🥳🥳✅🍀👍☘️🏃🏼‍♂️😀

[@kofuzi]

It was so much fun, indeed!

[@robertmelendez6677]

I just wish I could have made the shakeout run. Awesome turnout. Awesome race! Weather was a big factor for all but I’m sure we all felt the same way…We got it done! I look forward to running again in Chicago!

[@benjamintarantur6739]

I train in the heat and humidity in Florida.. train in the worst and run in the best!

[@Nothisguy_again]

Nice effort, great review of the race Kofuzi

[@nosirrahm]

You are the 3rd recap that said they started off too fast and had some early record paces and had some failure at the end. I think Chicago was pumping something into the air at the beginning of the race.

[@Ilovetechnology72]

Congrats!! Awesome work! Loved your race video!! Question for you, do you recorded the entire race, or record places as you go? Also do you hold your go pro the entire race???

[@davidorunner3275]

Congrats on your run. 3:14 in humid conditions is awesome. Interesting that you had a watch issue at the start. I ran Boston on Monday and Garmin chose to download a map update between mile 1 and 2. Didn't know at first, so restarted watch and began at mile 2. Frustrating to say the least. Thankfully was only running Boston as a victory lap so focus was more on surroundings than performance.

[@kofuzi]

Garmin only updates at inopportune times, it seems. but, at least it gets updates.

[@kiwitrailruns7656]

Great run, Kofuzi. You run with great spirit

[@dannyjacobs6734]

As for the heat and humidity, that may be the one area where I would have actually done pretty well after living and running in the SE US for 50+ years! Well, on second thought, you never get use to it! 🥵

[@demzre]

The heat can easily get to you. It got to me 4 weeks ago when I ran my first 10K race in San Francisco. At some point of the race, I passed out and woke up in the medical tent, not knowing where I was and how I got there, with 4 doctors attending to me. My core body temperature topped 107 degrees F and they ended up dunking me into an ice bath. They eventually had to call for an ambulance and I spent a night in the hospital. They said I "likely" had a heat stroke, which they were all surprised by given that it was only in the 60s that morning.

[@kofuzi]

That is a wild story! So glad you’re ok!

[@demzre]

@@kofuzi Thanks!

[@nberkel]

Always appreciate the breakdowns, regardless of level of success. My input for nutrition, maybe don't focus so much on trying to cram in a bunch of gels during a race. Focus on endurance and longer efforts and you'll be surprised how much you don't actually need to take in. All about efficiency...

[@melidalopez8646]

Agreed

[@leonaleewong]

Amazing job especially on a hot/humid/windy day!! Super stoked you’re doing CIM! Weather should be better for running. Just ordered the Metaspeed Sky for CIM. Thanks Mike for all the great work you do!!!

[@mitchyruns7818]

Well done, Mike. I ran my first marathon here in the UK in Brighton a few weeks ago and had almost identical conditions, being a new runner I kept to my plan and tried to keep to my 2:55 planned pace but the dehydration got my at mile 21 and I died, seeing how you guys and Boston had tough conditions and how you had to adapt the plan has taught me a lot! If you were to run it again would you switch into the alpha fly or was the Metaspeed just right? Well done again man

[@Nonixification]

14:30 No, its a Stryd calibration issue. Unfortunately you need to calibrate it to every shoe. On Vaporfly its 1.00 for me, on Alphafly 1.01, Adios Pro 1.02. etc. Also Stryd team is not confirming this issue they state their footpod is accurate, very sad to see a company dealing with costumers like this. Also windpower is not working perfectly, depending on shoes. So when you go out running for power think about it how much difference it can be shoe to shoe, for me it can be 20w, and thats a lot

[@kofuzi]

I don't have a wind power stryd pod

[@JohnJulitz]

I've been cheering at mile 22 since 2016 and I saw the most people from the early waves walking at that point than ever before. The humidity was rough. And because it was overcast for a good portion of the morning/early afternoon, that could have given off the impression it wasn't as hot/humid as it was.

[@winsorsomeone08]

I also had issues with my Stryd pod-I ended up running 26.55, with each consecutive mile lap deviating further and further from the course mile marker. At first it was pretty close, but by the end my Stryd was marking mile laps ~.30 miles ahead of the actual course mile marker. I chalked it up to bad calibration with the Next% 2 but maybe there’s more to it (like not running the tangents very well)

[@derekkyuen]

Great race & race recap! Looking forward to your CIM training and race videos~

[@soriano_runs1131]

Great recap! I think you were satisfied with your time because because you just ran a sub 315 without the proper training? Honestly that is pretty amazing if you ask me. Imagine if you did have a proper training. 😉 Plus it’s been over a year since an actual race season has happened. Me just watching all these races and seeing my friends on social media post their race results has made me super thankful that racing is back! I have a half marathon in AZ in a couple of weeks and I’m getting so anxious and excited for it. Hopefully I’ll have a PB 🤞🏼 Thank you Kofuzi for sharing your running journey with us. We really appreciate it. Happy running!

[@kofuzi]

good luck for your race!

[@thecoffeerunner1281]

I did Boston and it was not ideal ahah - see you at CIM !

[@curtdalgleish2903]

If you can do the Jack Daniels plan workouts you’ll have a real good chance of achieving your goal time. I can’t do the workouts so I’m adjusting my goal pace.

[@히이로-h6n]

시카고 마라톤 완주 축하드립니다! 런닝할 때 kofuzi님의 영상이 많은 동기부여가 되네요. 앞으로도 쭈욱 응원하겠습니다 :)

[@davidsaxe7077]

Great job ko!

[@nicholasuselmann2469]

Awesome video man, good work!

[@joyaclub]

I love your race analysis the channel. But I wonder if you ran without a camera, focused on tangents, and pacing, would you get a new PB?

[@stevewooldridge2403]

Reminds me of my 1 (and only) major, London, which was also stupidly hot, i lost my time goal in the 2 hours before the start, where it was so hot, and no cover at all, I just roasted (like everyone else). I know I was fit as in the weeks after I did a few PBs at shorter runs, disappointing, but it has set me a goal for my next major (Berlin & London!!).

[@sgtmidgetpanda2121]

Want to do a marathon one day. I’m a senior in high school so I haven’t really had time but after definitely plan to

[@kofuzi]

strike while the iron is hot

[@davidboyce5947]

I found that the tall buildings threw off the distance and tracking on my Garmin and showed that I ran extra distance but also ran a 1:24/km pace at one point across water. This may have been your issue.

[@evsakai]

Awesome job out there, looked like a lot of fun , can't wait to do marathons again !!! Honolulu Marathon where I live is December 12, your video got me even more excited for it 👍

[@kaiwang2918]

I usually take a gel 5mins before the race so I get that kick 20 - 30 mins in. Also carry 6 gels during the race as well. See you at CIM!

[@markchangcoco5427]

You did amazing! Awesome recap video! 🙌

[@kofuzi]

thanks Mark!

[@johnmcguire8347]

I ran and suffered with you all. The weather didn’t feel bad to me during most of the run but when my cramping set in at mile 21, I was toasted and had to walk/jog it in. Super fun experience though, despite the struggle.

[@jpod]

Had waited to watch this, the weather essentially broke me, I finished but it wasn’t pretty, excited to sign up for 2022 😂, think I have a problem

[@alexhogan5471]

I also had some significant distance issues with my watch! It really threw me off and I ultimately had to just use the timer to estimate my splits. I read an article after that sometimes the buildings of the loop can throw gps signals off, but who knows? It said that I ran 27.2 miles at the end and I never have distance issues with my suunto…

[@angelanaumann2312]

Mine said the same!!

[@roberttaylor8514]

Mike, had the same issue with taking a gel at mile 16. Just didn't want another gel. Took a banana but probably should have chocked down a gel. Crowds made all the difference. Didn't think it was that hot personally but did feel the wind on the back half during the more exposed sections.

[@kofuzi]

Something about mile 16 maybe? 🤔

[@run_sarah_run]

You may have answered this before, but I noticed you wore an apple watch and a Polar watch? Guessing one was for music, but figured I would ask anyway. Thanks in advance

[@zackbelcher3896]

I had a rough day, 30 min off my goal, cramps galore. Amazing course though, great crowds and incredible journey. I chose the Atreyu Artist and they were amazing at cushioning and keeping my joints pain free at least!

[@rockinginfiniverse1617]

What a wonderful adventure! Thank you for sharing!👍

[@danny-rws]

Awesome overview @kofuzi When your start line video flashes on the screen and the sun is rising I cringed a bit. I like when a full marathon get the race started early. Less time under the sun.

[@martindattus7064]

Congrats, good average pace!! Keep going!!

[@Runderestimated]

I NEED to get better at tangents too, I ran way over in LA Marathon because everytime I got tired i'd drift and hug the rails... not ideal!

[@kofuzi]

But, when you’re along the edge of the course, it does get a lot more exciting with the crowd support

[@Wgravelle]

I do the same thing lol. You can see it in some of the race photos, I’m off toward the curb.

[@surajtripathi3624]

Still great run. Congratulations