CHICAGO — One of the city's banner tourist events, the 39th Annual Chicago Marathon is set to reel in thousands of spectators and hundreds of millions of dollars in business revenue on Sunday.
It will also turn the city into a one-day traffic Armageddon. Some downtown street closures have already begun.
Whether you want to cheer on the participants or avoid the big crowds all together, here's what you need to know:
When does the marathon start?
Participants can begin checking in near the start line in Grant Park at 5:30 a.m. Sunday.
Runners will start the race in waves between 7:20 a.m. and 8 a.m. The weekend's full schedule of events is listed on the Chicago Marathon website.
Listen to Alex Nitkin share more details on logistics for the Marathon.
Where will the marathon take place?
The course stretches 26.2 miles and snakes all over the city, touching 29 different neighborhoods. Runners will head as far north as Wrigley Field, as far west as the United Center and as far south as U.S. Cellular Field.
Here's a map highlighting the route, mile markers and places to watch the race:
How hard will it be to get around the city?
Major streets will close and reopen in waves all over the city on Sunday. The closures will disrupt car, bike and bus travel in the city, so it's best to stick to the "L," if possible. As usual with major events, the CTA is beefing up train service for the marathon across all lines.
The closures will be in effect the longest on the Near South Side, where the last leg of the marathon will lead runners back to Grant Park. Most notably, the entire stretch of Michigan Avenue from 35th Street to Roosevelt Road will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Here's the tentative schedule for road closures and re-openings on Sunday.
What will the weather be like on Sunday?
In a word, perfect.
Temperatures will hover in the mid-50s around the time runners take their marks Sunday morning, gradually climbing into the upper-60s by the late afternoon, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Ricky Castro.
Conditions will be clear and dry, with "almost no cloud cover" and low humidity, Castro added.
"The dew point temperature is forecast down in the 40s, which is really low compared to some of the muggy conditions we saw over the summer," he said.
As if that weren't enough to keep runners comfortable, meteorologists are also forecasting a steady gentle breeze, with 5-10 mph winds wafting through the city all day.
"It's going to be a really beautiful day," Castro said. "For a marathon, it doesn't get much better than that."
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