'Run The Red Line': Event Covers The 26.2 Miles Between 95th And Linden

CHICAGO, IL — Interestingly, the distance between the southernmost and northernmost stops on the CTA Red Line is the same as a full marathon. That's 26.2 miles. So a couple of avid Chicago runners came up with the idea to hold a “Run the Red Line” event as a fun way to help those who live in or near the city and are training for a marathon.

The “Run The Red Line Marathon and Marathon Relay” will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Red Line stop at 95th Street on the South Side. The route begins there and goes all the way north to the stop at Linden Avenue in north suburban Wilmette.

“It's exactly 26.2 miles to run from 95th all the way to Linden,” the event’s Facebook event page states. “Run on your own, form teams as a relay, or join us for all or part. Invite everyone!!! Let's get all of Chicago's neighborhoods together.”

“We really want to be inclusive of everyone across all neighborhoods in the city,” Beth Maroney, a co-organizer of the event, said. “The fun part about this is that the route covers so many different areas that people may not have run in before.”

The route will take runners from Chatham and Englewood on the South Side, through Lincoln Park and Lake View on the North Side of the city before finishing on the North Shore with stops in Evanston and Wilmette.

“The diversity of the city is one of the best things about Chicago, but as runners we tend to divide into separate run clubs. This event allows us to all get together and participate in an event that's unique to our city.”

Runners are invited to hop on and off the CTA at the following stops and times. The times are based off a 9:15 pace, which is pretty solid for the marathon distance.

• 7:30: Meet at 95th, depart
• 8:30: 69th and State
• 9:08: 35th and State (Sox-35th)
• 9:31: Roosevelt and State
• 9:56: Clark/Division
• 10:26: Belmont and Sheridan
• 10:55: Bryn Mawr and Broadway
• 11:22: Howard Station
• 12:00: Linden Station

The event is co-organized by Maroney and Ari Ofsevit. Patch had a few questions about the unique event and Maroney answered them in a Facebook Q and A. Take a look below at the text of the full interview.

Patch (P): So how did this idea come up, and who first realized the Red Line is a perfect 26.2?

Beth Maroney (BM): My friend Ari and I were sitting and having burgers one night after a run. We were talking about some friends in Boston who had set up a "race the T" event for their train system. Ari mapped out the red line and realized the distance.

P: So when did it become a reality to actually hold an event that covers that route?

BM: We talked that night about getting the event together and getting CTA officially involved, but that didn't work out, so we finally put the event together about 3 weeks ago, and settled on a date last week.

P: Can you explain how it works? Is it a straight 26.2 or will the runs be done in spurts equaling the 26.2 total?

BM: It can be run as an entire 26.2 but we realize that most people won't be able to do that, so we're encouraging people to form teams and split it up. That way you can exchange at a red line stop and your teammates can continue to another point or to the end to cheer. There's no limit in number of people who can relay- you could do 26 people in theory if you wanted.

P: Great, that's a good plan to include more people. But if you want, there is a route in place to go the complete distance non-stop?

BM: Yes! Ari will be leading the entire distance, I will be leading about 16 miles as that's the long run distance for one of the Chicago Marathon training plans.

P: Cool... Then someone will jump in for the final 10.2?

BM: Yes. I think actually ill be leading the second portion. We have a fellow November Project member who is setting up a big water/aid station at mile 9.5.

P: Great. So what does someone have to do before taking part in this?

BM: Just go to the event page on Facebook! Both Ari and I are members of November Project and the hashtag is #justshowup. The same applies for this event.

If you aren’t on Facebook, let the organizers know you are planning to run by emailing Maroney at Angel1624@gmail.com.