Man Runs a Marathon Around a Single Chicago Block, CJ Albertson led the American men’s contingent at this year’s Chicago Marathon, running a personal best 2:08:17 to place seventh. Zach Panning, 29, was close behind, placing 10th in 2:09:16, a personal best by 12 seconds.
The two ran close together for much of the race, with Panning ahead until 35K—a point he reached in 1:45:32, a 4:51 pace, on target for a sub-2:08 finish. For Albertson, the race started to feel hard around mile 16, he said after the race.
They both slowed, but Albertson kept Panning in his sights, slipping by him by the 40K mark. “At that point, it was like—I’m hoping he doesn’t see me, I’m hoping he doesn’t go with me. Get by him as fast as possible; I’ll hide my face and go,” Albee said.
Their finishing places were reminiscent of the Olympic Marathon Trials in February. Panning, who runs with the Michigan-based Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, led for 18 miles, and eventually faded to sixth place, finishing in 2:10:50 Health & Injuries.
Though he’s often run well on hillier courses—he set his personal best of 2:09:53 at this year’s Boston Marathon—Albertson deliberately prepared for Chicago’s less undulating terrain. “My last long run and a lot of my tempos, I switched to being flat so I can walk into that rhythm,” he said before the race. Afterward, he noted that flat courses are just as challenging, but in a different way, because of the sustained hard effort they require.
He predicted he could hold 4:50 to 4:55 pace—he’d already done so for 24 miles in training—and that’s exactly what he did, finishing in 4:54 pace and improving upon his previous personal best of 2:09:53, from this year’s Boston Marathon.
Albertson balances his 100-plus-mile weeks around teaching and coaching at a community college, and he also has two children under the age of 3, leaving him tired most of the time. “Probably at least three to four days of the week,” he said, “I’m a functional zombie. I’m going to get everything done, I’m going to fulfill all my responsibilities, but there’s not a whole lot going on. It’s kind of very low energy, just getting through it.” His workout days, he’s a little perkier, in part thanks to caffeine pills.
He takes home $15,000 for placing first among Americans and Panning $12,000 for second. Reed Fischer was 12th overall and third American in 2:10:14, earning $10,000; Brian Shrader was just behind him in 13th with a 2:10:25, earning $7,000; and Shadrack Kipchirchir was 15th in 2:11:05, earning $5,000.
Albertson will have just a couple of weeks to recover before he’s back at it—he’s also running the New York City Marathon on November 3. He’s used to bouncing back from hard efforts, in both training and racing. Last year, he even ran two 2:11 marathons in consecutive weeks. But the biggest challenge in the next couple of weeks will be managing the emotions and lack of sleep that often follow a big-city race, he said.
Today’s result means he's still on track for a goal he set earlier this year: To be the top American finisher at all three U.S. majors in 2024. “New York’s probably going to be the toughest. I mean, that field is good, and guys that are running it are very fit, so it’s going to be hard,” he said. “But it at least keeps that dream alive.”
Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013. She’s the coauthor of both Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart and Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, a book about the psychology of sports injury from Bloomsbury Sport. Cindy specializes in covering injury prevention and recovery, everyday athletes accomplishing extraordinary things, and the active community in her beloved Chicago, where winter forges deep bonds between those brave enough to train through it.
