Chicago Marathon Will Get Some Competition // Loyola to Sponsor Windy City Marathon

The Second City will have its second fall marathon.

As many runners trained for this month's Boston and Lake Countymarathons, plans were moving along this week for the first WindyCity International Marathon tentatively to be run Oct. 8.

That's one week before the well-established LaSalle BanksChicago Marathon and one week after the third annual MotorolaHalf-Marathon in the northwest suburbs.

Windy City organizers have scheduled a news conference forApril 19 at Loyola University, the new marathon's host sponsor, tomake the formal announcement and provide details.

Lakeshore Athletic Services president Tom Cooney, well-known inChicago as a leading player on the amateur sports scene and known forhis strong ties with Loyola, is operations director. Bob Bright,director of the Chicago Marathon during much of the 1980s, is racedirector.

"Most of the information will be announced at the newsconference," Cooney said this week. "They've (Loyola) been workingon it for a long time, and it all kind of came together in the lastcouple of weeks."

The new marathon is expected to follow a scenic course from astarting line near Fort Sheridan and Barat College on the south endof Lake Forest and wind through the North Shore suburbs of Highwood,Highland Park, Glencoe, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Wilmette and Evanstonbefore finishing on Loyola's far north side campus.

"The course is going to be our big thing," Cooney said. "It'sgoing to be fast, scenic and point-to-point. What we think ispeople will like running it."

The obvious question is the potential competition with the Oct.15 Chicago Marathon.

"It's obvious they're trying to compete with us," said CareyPinkowski, executive race director of the Chicago Marathon. "We'realready competing. We're competing with Detroit (same day), we'recloser to Twin Cities now (one week) and we're competing withColumbus and St. Louis. Fox Cities has a nice marathon, andMilwaukee has a marathon. We're already competing."

"The Windy City Marathon is going to happen," Bright said."And I think the folks at the Chicago Marathon should put theirefforts into improving their race and stop trying to derail thisrace. I just want to be on an even field. It's like two hot dogstands."

"Rivalry, I think, is the operative word," said Chris Devine,president of Major Broadcasting, the parent company of Major Events,which produces the Chicago Marathon. "This is America, and I wishthose guys the best of luck in the open field. I have a radiobackground, and there are a lot of radio stations on the dial.People listen to the one that appeals to them the most."

Ironically, Devine, is a Loyola graduate who was coached byCooney in 1978.

"I'm gonna stay away from all that stuff," Cooney said. "Ithink it will be OK. They're (Chicago) a very well-establishedevent. They have a very loyal following, and I think they'll do agreat job. Personally, I think it will be fine.

"I'm in the business of putting on road races. I just happen tobe a 25-year employee of the organization that's putting it on. Ihave a vested stake. I went there, I coached there and I teach there(physical education). I'm very tied. It (the decision to leave theChicago Marathon) came down to my loyalty to Loyola."

Bright said Windy City still is seeking to resolve race-dateconflicts with the Active Endeavors Run for the Lake in Evanston andthe Highland Park Hopsital Run for the Health of It, both scheduledfor Oct. 8.