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Regional Studies - Midwest U.S., Running, Walking & Jogging
Chicago Marathon by Andrew Suozzo β€” book cover

Chicago Marathon

by Andrew Suozzo
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Overview

"In The Chicago Marathon, Andrew Suozzo reveals this citywide ritual as far more than a simple race. Providing a full-spectrum look at the event's production and participants, Suozzo shows how the elements that comprise the marathon also reflect modern Chicago's politics, its people, and the ways the city engages with the wider world." The Chicago Marathon features numerous interviews with the runners themselves, ranging from world-renowned professional athletes to amateurs with diverse backgrounds and abilities.

Synopsis

In The Chicago Marathon, Andrew Suozzo reveals this citywide ritual as far more than a simple race. Providing a full-spectrum look at the event's production and participants, Suozzo shows how the elements that comprise the marathon also reflect modern Chicago's politics, its people, and the ways the city engages with the wider world.

The book encompasses all of the forces that come together to make the race the spectacle it has become today. Beginning with a brisk history of the marathon, Suozzo leads readers from its origins in Greek mythology to its modern reality, and also along its rocky road to international prominence. He investigates the roles of sponsorship, small-business support, and the city's intervention on behalf of the marathon, as well as the alliances the event has forged with the media and charity fundraisers. He also discusses race management and the grassroots support that ultimately make it possible, with a special perspective on the aid station directors and volunteers. Finally, The Chicago Marathon features numerous interviews with the runners themselves, ranging from world-renowned professional athletes to amateurs with diverse backgrounds and abilities.

About the Author, Andrew Suozzo

Andrew G. Suozzo Jr. is a professor of modern languages at DePaul University. He is the author of The Comic Novels of Charles Sorel and coauthor of Teaching French Culture: Theory and Practice. His article “The Chicago Marathon and Urban Renaissance” won the Russel B. Nye Award. Suozzo is also an avid amateur runner.

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Editorials

From Barnes & Noble

Once called the Mayor Daly Marathon, this long-distance race at first seemed more like a citywide ritual than a major race; but the Chicago Marathon has grown into an internationally watched sports event, complete with world records and media hoopla. De Paul professor/amateur runner Andrew Suozzo has written the first book-length study of a race draws 40,000 runners and countless Walter Mitty champions.

Book Details

Published
October 1, 2006
Publisher
University of Illinois Press
Pages
288
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780252074219

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