15 Days in Canada & USA 🇨🇦🇺🇸 Part 14 | Chicago Marathon 2026! Heat, Amazing Crowds & My Finish

Day 14 of my 15-day Canada & USA adventure, and the moment I've been waiting for has finally arrived — the 2026 Chicago Marathon! 🇺🇸🏃‍♂️🏅 After travelling through Canada and spending several wonderful days exploring Chicago, everything has been leading up to today. It's race day! My morning started with my usual pre-marathon breakfast: toast with ham and black coffee. Nothing fancy, just my familiar routine before running 42.195 km. ☕️🍞 I left my hotel and walked towards the starting area, surrounded by fellow runners sharing the same excitement. The beautiful sunrise reflected off the Chicago River and illuminated the magnificent skyscrapers. What a wonderful morning! Eventually, I reached my starting corral. Everyone was pumped up and raring to go! The energetic announcements and motivational speeches made the atmosphere even more exciting. 3, 2, 1… HERE WE GO! 🏃‍♂️🎉 Crossing the starting line was an incredible feeling. From the very beginning, the crowds were absolutely fantastic. People cheered, shouted encouragement and held up signs all along the course. It really felt like the whole city had come out to support us! Running through Chicago was equally spectacular. The route passed so many famous neighbourhoods and landmarks, with impressive skyscrapers towering above us. I tried to capture as much as possible while running. 🏙️ The volunteers were amazing too, enthusiastically handing out water, refreshments and encouragement at every aid station. A huge thank you to all of them! Unfortunately, the temperature kept rising as the race progressed, and eventually a red alert was issued because of the heat. ☀️🥵 Thankfully, water sprayers along the course offered some much-needed relief. I ran through several of them, and the cooling sponges helped enormously too! There were several things that particularly impressed me during the race. I loved Nike's motivational billboards along the route, the incredible spectators cheering us on, and especially the determination of fellow runners with physical disabilities who were giving everything they had. Seeing their perseverance was genuinely inspiring and reminded me what marathon running is really about. ❤️ Finally, the finish line was approaching. The last 100 metres! I gathered whatever energy I had left and sprinted towards the finish. 🏃‍♂️💨 And then… I DID IT! 42.195 km completed! 🏅 What an incredible feeling of accomplishment. After finishing, I celebrated with an ice-cold beer. Nothing beats a refreshing beer after running a marathon in such hot weather! 🍺 This certainly wasn't an easy race, and I didn't achieve a new personal best this time. But looking back, the wonderful crowds, volunteers, inspiring runners, magnificent city scenery and incredible atmosphere made this marathon truly unforgettable. No PB this time, and the heat was tough. But I'm happy, proud and feeling accomplished. Another marathon in the books! ❤️🏅 Thank you, Chicago, for an unforgettable race day! 🇺🇸 #ChicagoMarathon #ChicagoMarathon2026 #ChicagoMarathonRaceDay #MarathonVlog #MarathonRunner #MarathonRunning #262Miles #42195KM #WorldMarathonMajors #ChicagoRunning #RunningVlog #MarathonFinish #MarathonFinisher #RunningMotivation #MarathonTraining #RunningCommunity #ChicagoSkyline #ChicagoDowntown #MarathonVolunteers #NikeRunning #RunningInTheHeat #MarathonMemories #CanadaUSA #ChicagoVlog #TravelDiary #芝加哥马拉松 #2026芝加哥马拉松 #芝马 #马拉松比赛日 #马拉松Vlog #马拉松全记录 #马拉松跑者 #马拉松完赛 #42195公里 #世界马拉松大满贯 #跑步Vlog #马拉松训练 #马拉松冲线 #跑者精神 #芝加哥 #芝加哥旅行 #芝加哥天际线 #芝加哥摩天大楼 #马拉松志愿者 #马拉松观众 #高温跑步 #坚持到底 #完赛的喜悦 #加拿大美国之旅 #旅行日记