As the 45,000 runners in the 38th LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon race through 29 different neighborhoods Sunday, executive race director Carey Pinkowski says they'll discover plenty.
"50 states represented, 100 countries. We have just an amazing race upfront. The tradition continues," he said on SportsTalk Live. "People are coming to discover themselves, discover the city of Chicago."
Pinkowski designed the 26.2-mile course that begins and ends in Grant Park and said the continued improvement and progression of the race's top runners has added even more intrigue.
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"This next wave of athletes we've seen in the last few years have really redefined the marathon, especially on a course like Chicago," he told CSN's David Kaplan. "It's about speed, it's about running fast, that's what they look to do and that's what they usually end up doing."
Pinkowski also added that "races within the race," including the wheel chair division and others vying for qualifying spots in the 2016 Olympic Games, will be story lines to watch once the race begins at 7:30 a.m.
See what else Pinkowski had to say about the race in the SportsTalk Live video above.