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Runners race down LaSalle Street near Wacker Drive during the 2015 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Here’s how you can watch in person or from your couch, track a runner and tips on how to successfully maneuver around the city during the marathon on Sunday.

After COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the Chicago Marathon last year, the city’s biggest test for long-distance runners returns on Sunday.

More than 35,000 people from 50 states and 100 countries are expected to compete in the 26.2-mile race.

In total, the course winds through 29 different neighborhoods, so even if you’re not running, chances are the race will affect most Chicagoans or their travel plans on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know for the marathon.

When is the race?

The race begins with the men’s wheelchair grouping at 7:20 a.m. Sunday in Grant Park. The starting line is at Columbus Drive and Monroe Street. Here are the scheduled start times:

7:20 a.m.: Men’s wheelchair
7:21: Women’s wheelchair
7:23: Handcycle
7:30: Wave 1 (red)
8: Wave 2 (blue)
8:35: Wave 3 Start (orange)

The course

The race begins in Grant Park. In general, the course winds its way north to Sheridan Road in Uptown, then back south and west by the United Center through the West Loop, south again to 35th Street in Bronzeville and finally finishing back in Grant Park.

Can I watch from the starting line?

No. Only registered runners can watch at the actual starting or finish line. Spectators can access Grant Park beginning at 9:30 a.m.

How can I watch or listen from home?

NBC-5, Telemundo Chicago and TeleXitos will have live TV coverage and live streaming from 7 to 11 a.m.
For radio coverage, WSCR (670-AM) will broadcast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Are there any COVID-19 restrictions with the race?

All participants must be fully vaccinated or provide a negative COVID-19 result from a test taken in the previous 72 hours.

What’s the weather like on Sunday?

The forecast calls for partly sunny, breezy and warm with a 74-degree temperature on Sunday morning. There is a 30% chance of rain as of Tuesday morning, according to Accuweather.

How can I find a runner on the course?

The Chicago Marathon app will provide live race-day runner tracking, along with elite athlete profiles, live broadcast streaming, weather, and an interactive course map. Download it here from the Apple App Store, or here via Google Play.

Where and when does the race end?

The finish line of the 26.2-mile race is at the south end of Grant Park. The elite runners are expected to cross the finish line first about 9:30 a.m. All runners must finish the race in six hours, 30 minutes, which is about a 15-minute mile pace.

How can I find a runner after the race?

Alphabetical signs can be found in the “Runner Reunite” area on Columbus Drive adjacent to Butler Field. The post-race festival with live music, food and drinks will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What’s the best way for spectators to get around the course?

Public transit is the easiest way to get around and avoid road closures. Various CTA trains and buses can get you near Grant Park and help you navigate your way around the course. The CTA said Tuesday that it will be providing extra race-day service this weekend .

Metra also plans to increase the number of trains inbound in early morning and outbound during the early afternoon for Sunday. Extra service will be offered on the BNSF, Metra Electric, Milwaukee District North and Union Pacific Northwest and West lines.

What are the best spectator strategies to watch the race?

If you’re following a specific runner, the best way to keep up is to track him or her via the Chicago Marathon app. You can follow along as they make their way through the course.

There are numerous viewing locations where you can watch the race at two nearby points. For example, in the fourth mile you can see the field running north on LaSalle Street at Division Street. Then you could two blocks west and see the field running south on Wells Street around mile marker 12. And there’s a Red Line stop at Clark and Division, so you can head south and see other locations.

When do I have to move my parked car from the course?

Any cars parked on the course will be towed starting 1 a.m. Sunday.

When do streets along the course close?

Streets along the course will be closed starting at 7 a.m. Sunday.

When do streets along the course reopen?

As runners pass through the mile markers, the streets will gradually reopen in a staggered manner from 10 a.m. (mile markers 1 and 2) to 6 p.m. For a complete guide of reopenings, click here.

What are the best shortcuts — pedestrian and vehicular — to avoid the marathon?

The marathon makes getting around in the city extremely difficult. If you must take a car, the best way to avoid runners while heading north or south is by taking Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
To get east or west, Lower Wacker Drive is extremely useful at getting to Lake Michigan, the Magnificent Mile, Streeterville or Lake Shore Drive.
On foot, the Chicago Riverwalk is an easy way to get through the closed Loop streets.
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Pau Gasol, shown in a 2016 file photo when he played for the Bulls, announced his retirement from basketball. | Darren Hauck/AP

Gasol won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, in 2009 and 2010, and averaged 17 points and 9.2 rebounds in 1,226 regular-season games with five NBA teams.

MADRID — Former Bulls player Pau Gasol announced his retirement from basketball on Tuesday, ending a career that lasted more than two decades and earned him two NBA titles and a world championship gold with Spain’s national team.

The 41-year-old Gasol had already announced his farewell from international basketball in August after Spain lost to the United States in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Games, which marked his fifth Olympics.

Gasol had been with Spanish club Barcelona since February. His career had stalled before that because a left-foot stress fracture that lingered and kept him from playing for nearly two years.

“I’m going to retire from professional basketball,” Gasol said. “It’s a difficult decision after so many years, but it’s a decision that I really thought over.”

The retirement announcement was made in an event at a opera house in Barcelona attended by former teammates and family members, including his wife, young daughter and brother Marc.

Gasol won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, in 2009 and 2010, and averaged 17 points and 9.2 rebounds in 1,226 regular-season games with five NBA teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies, Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks. He was the No. 3 pick in the 2001 NBA draft, being selected by Atlanta and traded to Memphis.

Gasol last played in the NBA with the Bucks in 2019. He signed with the Portland Trail Blazers that year but never got to play.

Gasol won a world championship title with Spain in 2006, in addition to European titles in 2009, 2011 and 2015.

He helped Spain win Olympic silver medals in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London, as well as a bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

Gasol recently won an election to represent athletes for the next seven years at the International Olympic Committee. He joined an IOC membership list drawn variously from European and Middle East royal families, international sports bodies, business leaders and 12 athletes elected by their peers.

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Five people, including four police officers, were injured following a fire Oct. 4, 2021, in Lincoln Park. | Sun-Times file photo

Police said they were investigating the fire at 400 block of West Wrightwood Avenue as an arson but gave no details.

A man died after apparently jumping from a 7th-floor apartment in Lincoln Park after a fire had been purposely set, according to Chicago police.

The fire was reported in an apartment around 5 p.m. in the 400 block of West Wrightwood Avenue, police said.

Responding crews found Demarlo M. Branch, 31, on the ground and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Branch lived in the apartment on the 7th floor where the fire was set, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman said.

Four officers suffered minor smoke inhalation and were transported to a hospital for evaluation, officials said.

The fire was contained to one apartment. Police said it was being investigated as an arson.

No other details were released.

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Fall in love at the ‘Copa’ this Fall. Carnivale, 702 W Fulton Market St., will soon heat up the Fulton Market District with ‘Copa Carnivale,’ an all-new, cabaret style dining experience with limited performances beginning Thursday, October 7 in the restaurant’s iconic dining room. The 90-minute extravaganza will transport guests into the magic of the legendary Copacabana with a colorful Carnivale twist, delighting with world-class talent including Brazilian dancers, feathered showgirls, live music from an Afro-Brazilian band, acrobatic aerialists and many more South American influenced performances.

Visitors can enjoy this exclusive experience with seatings at 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 7, Thursday, November 11 or Friday, November 26. Tickets are $129 each and include reserved communal seating right in the middle of the action and a delicious three course prix fixe meal courtesy of Executive Chef Carlos Lucas Garza. Tickets are on sale now for the limited engagement, and guests may reserve their experience online.

“At the heart of what we pride ourselves on here at Carnivale is living life to the fullest, and ‘Copa’ will be no exception,” said Sam Randazzo, General Manager at Carnivale. “We’ve sourced a group of the best, most vibrant entertainers around and we can’t wait to live it up at every performance.”

Known for bright, fresh fare that brings a special energy to each plate, Chef Garza will serve a three-course prix fixe menu crafted to match the excitement of the evening. For the first course, diners will be treated to the Green City Market Salad, topped with carrots, Summer peaches, cucumbers, tomatoes, candied nuts and a sherry vinaigrette.

As the entertainment fills the room, the main course will serve as a star on the plate with guest’s choice of a 10 oz Wagyu top sirloin (Halal) served alongside garlic confit potatoes, Catalan style spinach and a mushroom-bone marrow butter, or an 8 oz Faroe Island pan-seared Salmon filet, served with Spanish couscous, Marcona almonds, golden raisins, rooftop garden tomatoes and a peri-peri sauce. For dessert, guests will delight in the perfect melody of a Banana pecan toffee cake, piled high with maple candied pecans and served with a delicious Frangelico dulce de leche ice cream.

Copa Carnivale tickets are $129 per person and can be purchased online. For more information on Carnivale or to make a dining reservation, guests can visit carnivalechicago.com, call (312) 850-5005 or follow @carnivalechi on Instagram and Facebook.

About Carnivale

702 West Fulton Market Street, Chicago, IL 60661

Established in 2005, Carnivale, 702 W. Fulton Market St., was the original restaurant to set the tone for the now booming Fulton Market District. Now celebrating 16 years of one-of-a-kind Latin-inspired cuisine and entertainment, Carnivale has grown into an iconic Chicago institution and premier destination. Led by Executive Chef Carlos Garza Lucas, Carnivale’s menu explores dishes and flavors from South America, Central America, and Mexico.

Carnivale is a landmark that stays fresh and enchanting year after year, continually surprising and delighting its guests. Featuring energetic colors, glamour, photography and wild design, Carnivale engages all the senses with surprising flavors, Latin music and luxurious comfort. The restaurant boasts more than 35,000 square feet of customizable private event space, perfect for large and intimate parties, weddings, corporate gatherings and other special events.

For more information, visit www.carnivalechicago.com and follow Carnivale on Facebook and Instagram.

Featured Image Credit: Carnivale

The post Introducing Copa Carnivale: a Flair-filled Cabaret Style Experience Hosted by Carnivale Beginning October 7 appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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The Chicago marathon is right around the corner, and one thing the foodies care the most about is… where are the runners (and ourselves!) going to load up on carbo so we have enough energy for the marathon? In this list, we’ve included places offering runners specials as well as those for casual carbo-load across the town.

Whether you’re a hard-core athlete, a part-time runner, or simply looking for a reason to indulge in meatballs and pasta, there’s somewhere for you on this list!

Enjoy the Runner’s Specials

These places understand how much a marathon takes. Bring your runner’s identification and enjoy a discounted meal, a free desert, or other specials!

il Porcellino

59 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit il Porcellino from October 8 – October 10, and enjoy their marathon special of Slow Roasted Chicken Ragu with caramelized fennel, alta cucina tomatoes, fresh oregano and imported bucatini pasta, available for dine-in, carryout and delivery. In addition to this special, order up the signature Burrata Lasagna and don’t forget the Whole Loaf Garlic Bread! Make a reservation at il Porcellino. Order carryout or delivery from il Porcellino.

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

On Sunday, October 10 and Monday, October 11, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! is offering all marathon runners who show their medal or bib number a FREE dessert tapa on the house! Pro Trip: Try the Butterscotch Custard or the Chocolate Truffle Cake. Make a reservation at Cafe-Ba-Ba-Reeba!

Mon Ami Gabi – Chicago

2300 N Lincoln Park W, Chicago, IL 60614

Lil-Ba-Ba-Reeba!

For Casual Carbo-Load

Who said carbo-load is for runners only, right? We may not have the athlete’s spirit, but we can certainly appreciate a good plate of pasta or a nice piece of meat.

The Smith

400 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Perfect for the ultimate carbo-loading, The Smith’s “Red Sauce Sundays” is priced at $45.00 for two. Diners will receive a Chicken Parmesan, Caesar Salad, Rigatoni alla vodka, Parmesan garlic flatbread, and finish the meal out with rainbow cookies. Their a la carte menu is also available during this time and diners can choose from a variety of pasta!

PB&J

205 N Peoria St, Chicago, IL 60607

West Loop’s hottest hangout specializing in its namesake areas: Pizza, Beer, and Jukebox. Diners can enjoy Neapolitan style pizzas and a state-of-the-art TouchTunes Jukebox in the heart of the West Loop. Specialty pizzas include options such as Elote Pizza, Loaded Baked Potato Pizza, Burrata and Balsamic Pizza and many more.The expansive menu also features a “Not So Secret” PB&J portion, perfect for kids of all ages.

The Press Room

1134 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607

Chef Noah serves up some of the most exquisite pasta dishes made in-house daily. He notes his key and the main ingredient is flour that is milled and grown in the Marche region of Italy, Paolo Mariani Flour. Chef Noah prefers to use this flour as it isn’t overly processed and is freshly milled and shipped right away, allowing it not to lose its nutritional value. On the menu, diners can find a variety of heartfelt pasta dishes including:

Gnocchi Sardi – eggplant, sun-dried tomato, corn, melrose peppers, sesame

Tagliatelle Pork Sugo – braised pork, tomato, hazelnuts, sherry

Squid Ink Chitarra – crab, calabrian chili, capers, lemon

Wood

3335 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60657

At the six-time Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, Chef Devin Kreller makes his pasta in-house daily and utilizes leftover ingredients, bones, and cuts of meats for his sauces. Diners can choose from a variety of pasta dishes including:

Tomato Pasta Primavera – hand-made campanelle pasta, smoked tomato butter, haricot verts, wax beans, slow-roasted tomatoes, parmesan

Hand-Made Torchio Pasta – braised lamb ragu, summer squash, castelvetrano olives, preserved lemon, parmesan, chili, pistachio

Porcini Radiatore – house-made pasta, wood oven-roasted maitake mushrooms, Tuscan kale, roasted garlic truffle butter, parmesan cream, fines herbes, mushroom bread crumb

Funkenhausen

1709 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

At Funkenhausen, Chef Mark Steuer draws inspiration from his Charleston, South Carolina upbringing, and German heritage to create unique dishes that the traditionally heavy German dishes become lighter versions of themselves. In addition to typical German and Southern items, diners can enjoy Chef Mark’s version of pasta:

Summertime Spaetzle – featuring Sungold tomato vodka sauce, braised pork, pesto, swiss chard and pickled chard stems, topped with parmesan

BLVD Steakhouse

817 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60607

You’re going to need all the energy you can get to make it through the 26.2 miles of The Chicago Marathon, and BLVD Steakhouse is where you’re going to find it! Good luck trying to find a better prime cut in Chicago — BLVD Steakhouse boasts Filets, Porterhouses, Ribeyes and the most beautiful New York Strips you have ever seen in your life.

Be prepared to dine in style, too, because the glamour and luxury of Old Hollywood have made their way to Chicago with BLVD Steakhouse. The dining room is something you have to see to believe, so here are the receipts.

Rose Mary

932 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607

Let’s face it; you need to carbo-load before the Chicago Marathon if you’re going to finish 26.2 miles! Solve your problem when you visit Chef Joe Flamm’s Rose Mary before or after the marathon. Spoil yourself by ordering Rose Mary’s Rigatoni — ricotta, buffalo butter, mint, and all of the peas you’ve ever seen in your life piled together on a plate. You should also consider the Spaghetti, loaded with duck confit, rapini, parmigiano and chile flake, which is guaranteed to help you run that extra mile.

RPM Italian

52 W Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60654

Pasta, steaks, and seafood. Nothing else needs to be said. Located in River North, RPM Italian is the perfect spot for a group carbo-load with your friends after running, or watching the marathon. Enjoy some prime beef meatballs, truffled garlic bread, Maine Lobster Risotto, or a 20oz Painted Hills Ribeye.

Image Credit: Pizzeria Portofino

Pizzeria Portofino

317 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

You’ve earned yourself that pizza after all the running and sweating! Now, it’s time for hand-stretched pizzas, coastal wines, and Pizzeria Portofino’s expansive patio and breezy decor. Enjoy the a Fresca or Charred Pepperoni pizza. Then, finish your meal with the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Gelato. We guarantee you will feel as fresh as new!

Image Credit: Osteria Via Stato

Osteria Via Stato

620 N State St, Chicago, IL 60654

Enjoy authentic Italian cuisine in the heart of Chicago. Try the warm ciabatta & roasted garlic, the slagel farm braised short rib, a classic margherita pizza. Or simply go with their the heirloom tomato celebration, which allows you to choose from most their favorite items on the menu and a special dessert.

Featured Image Credit: Osteria Via Stato

The post Where to Carbo-load After the Chicago Marathon appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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The Chicago Bears have made a trade. Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver and punt returner Jakeem Grant is headed to Chicago in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported Tuesday morning. After this past week, it made sense that the Bears made a move for a couple of reasons. […] Chicago Bears: Why Jakeem Grant trade is good for Justin Fields – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

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A man was killed in a shootout, Oct. 4, 2021, in Lake View. | Andy Boyle/Sun-Times.

The victim was riding in a car eastbound on West Irving Park Road, when shots were exchanged with people in a Dodge sedan, police said,

A 16-year-old boy was killed when shots were exchanged between two cars in Lake View on the North Side Monday night.

The boy was riding in a car going east on West Irving Park Road, when shots were fired from a Dodge sedan and someone in the car returned fire, Chicago police said.

The car crashed into a parked car in the 4000 block of North Ashland Avenue, police said. The driver ran off and the boy, shot in the head, was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center and pronounced dead.

A gun was found inside the car, police said.

No arrest was reported.

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