The Demo Site

Raymond Britt is re-writing the book on the Chicago Marathon – and that’s a good thing. Britt has just released “Chicago Marathon” through Arcadia Publishing.

For fans of the Chicago Marathon it’s a great photographic history of the race – going all the way back to the very first Chicago Marathon in 1905. One of the most interesting parts of the book is a look at the race through “then and now” photos.

The book also gives a visual tour of the current course. It’s walk (run?) down memory lane for those who have run the Chicago Marathon before and a good primer for those who will be running it for the first time.

My only quibble with the book is all the pictures are in black and white. What I love about marathons in general and especially Fall marathons is the wide variety in colors that race day produces. There is really nothing like it and that is missing here.

Some of my favorite notes? The sponsor of the early marathons? The Chicago Daily News. The newspaper has long been defunct but it shows that even more than 100 years ago companies knew the power and benefits of sponsoring a community event.

I also loved the 1907 Chicago Tribune newspaper headline: “Sleeping Runner Loses Marathon”. Not exactly. The runner wasn’t sleeping. He was passed out from exhaustion, sadly just before the finish line.

Britt is clearly a fan of the Chicago Marathon and it shows. The book is a nice keepsake for those who feel the same way.

You can order it on Amazon.com here:

http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Marathon-Images-Sports-Raymond/dp/0738577189/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255102756&sr=8-1