Carey Pinkowski

50 | FRIEND OF THE BREATHLESS. GIVES CHICAGO THE RUNAROUND.

Ironically, it's a calm time for me. My primary goal is to navigate the lead procession and make sure everyone's pointed in the right direction.

How has this changed in the last 30 years?

It used to be thought of as kind of an extreme sport and [the participants] were looked on as an oddity. In the interim, running has become more of a mainstream activity.

Why did you want the start and finish near each other?

It's inherently different from some of the traditional (point-to-point) courses in London or Boston and New York. The philosophy is to give participants a real tour, and experience the sights and sounds and neighborhoods of the city. It's a real interactive design to allow family members to get to different locations.

What's something else that sets Chicago apart?

The race is known for its fast times. Athletes have always done great things here. With support of LaSalle Bank and the corporate community, we were able to create a very attractive prize purse and time bonuses. That's a great incentive.

Why can athletes run faster here than in other cities?

The quality of roadway design and of course the fact that there's relatively no hills. In the past seven years we had three world records. Athletes come here to really try to go fast. Whether you're trying to break the world record or break six hours, that's a common thread.

How much work is this?

This is a year-long process. We interface with the Park District and the Police Department and IDOT and Streets and Sanitation -- just about every city agency. I also bring top athletes to the event from around the world.

Last year, the winner was Kenyan Robert K. Cheruiyot, who slipped and slid across the finish line, injuring his head on the pavement. Is he OK? Is he coming back this year?

Yes. He won the Boston Marathon in April for the third time, so he's in pretty good shape.

Are you worried about Bank of America's purchase of LaSalle?

No concerns about sponsorship. We've created a great event, a part of the Chicago sports profile. I think that will continue on for many, many years.

Do you run?

I've been running most of my life. I work in an industry I was involved in as a young boy. If you can do that, that's a special thing.

Do you ever run the race yourself?

I'd run it twice if I could, but I'm too busy. Most of my running is solitary and casual. I still enjoy the loneliness of the long-distance runner.

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Carey Pinkowski has been executive race director of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon since 1990. He has expanded the event to one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,000 runners from all 50 states and 124 foreign countries signed up for the 8 a.m. Sunday start in Grant Park.