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That spike in runners along the Lakefront Trail that is guilting you during every morning commute can mean only one thing: The 36th annual Chicago Marathon is fast approaching. Here’s what you need to know before the participants pound the pavement for 26.2 miles on October 13.
 

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  • 45,000 registered participants
  • 2:04:38 course record
    Tsegaye Kebede (pictured above), 2012
  • 1.7 million estimated spectators
  • 138 countries represented
  • 10,212 international runners
  • 77,760 gallons of water and 1.1 million Gatorade cups
  • 1,500 portable toilets
  • 29 official Chicago neighborhoods on the course
     

Security changes for this year: Runners must pick up their own bib packets; no one may pick up a bib packet on behalf of a runner. Only transparent event-issued bags allowed in Grant Park and accepted at the gear check.