Naperville City Council members have approved the route for the inaugural Naperville Marathon, set for Nov. 10.
Incorporating both a full and a half marathon, the event will start at North Central College. Runners will make their way southwest through the downtown, then head down West Street and cut through the Springbrook Prairie Preserve before circling back toward the northwest, ending up back at North Central.
"If it were on a bicycle, it would be the Tour de Naperville," Councilman Bob Fieseler said.
Participants will have the option of using the event as a qualifying race for the iconic Boston Marathon.
Council member Paul Hinterlong wanted to be certain the event will be minimally disruptive for those who live or travel in the area of the race, and said they should be given plenty of advance notice of the route and timing.
"I would hope that we will have good contact with the residents that will be affected by this marathon," Hinterlong said. "I just don't want to have a lot of complaints that it wasn't planned out or that it wasn't communicated to them. It's a big event, so let's make sure everyone knows about it and how to address it and deal with it when the time comes."
According to City Clerk Pam LaFeber, planners intend to reach out to the community once the route has been established.
"There is going to be media, there are going to be door-to-door fliers, there will be a major communication push for this event," LaFeber said.
Electronic message boards also will go up a week ahead of the race, to let residents and motorists know their routine travels may be disrupted on marathon day.
Registration for the event, approved by the Council in December, opened on Jan. 28. It took about 14 hours for all 3,500 entry slots to fill.
Thursday, May 16 2013 9:49 PM EDT2013-05-17 01:49:53 GMT
Mayor Emanuel will celebrate two years in office by unveiling "Elevate Chicago" on Thursday, a series of construction projects to improve Navy Pier and McCormick Place.
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Chicago teachers, parents and students are hitting the streets for a third and final day of citywide marches in protest of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposal to close dozens of schools.
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Clinton Shepherd, Pier Park Operations Manager, is trying to set a new world record for the longest time riding a Ferris Wheel. He was stationed at Navy Pier Thursday, preparing for this weekend's marathon event.
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Five people have been killed and at least 18 others wounded — including a 12-year-old boy left in critical condition — in shootings across the city since Friday night.
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Sunday, May 19 2013 6:44 PM EDT2013-05-19 22:44:15 GMT
Skokie Police Chief Tony Scarpelli said Sunday police still have no suspect in custody in connection with a shooting Friday night near just outside of Westfield's Old Orchard Shopping Center.
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