40,000 of runners will make their way through the city streets for the 2022 Chicago Marathon

Well, it is race day. More than 400 runners are getting ready to make their way through the city streets for the 2022 Chicago Marathon. CBS Two Zarizai has been live for us all morning in Grant Park near the starting line. I know things are ramping up. Is it starting to heat up a little bit for you out there? I know the runners like it this little chilly out there if you're watching those racers go by, right?

That's right. I think the key this morning is going to be layers, layers, and layers because that's what I've got on. So I've been pretty okay here for most of the morning. As the sun comes up, we're going to get a little bit of relief here. But as you mentioned, this is perfect weather for these runners that have been preparing for this race for months now. I want to talk more about what this means for Chicago with Rita Cook. Come on over. Rita, good morning. Thank you so much for joining us. You are with a bank of America. This is a huge, huge event for you guys, and we were just talking about what it means for Chicago.

Yeah, it's a 25-year veteran working for bank of America. I've got a lot of pride because I'm from Chicago. You think about what it does for the city. We've got 400 runners descending on the city. The economic impact last year was estimated at $307,000,000, or the equivalent of 2200 jobs. Philanthropically, of our 400 runners, twelve, 500 are running for charity. Last year, they generated, after the Pandemic, $21 million for local, regional and global charities. So they're not just running for themselves or for the achievement, but to give back to the communities they are a part of.

Wow. Those are some outstanding numbers, honestly. And we've been talking about how this marathon draws in people from all over the country, all over the world. And I think that's the coolest part about seeing so many people out here is they're supporting people from all over. What are you guys most excited about this year? Because I've heard so many people talk about being happy that we're back in full force after the Pandemic. Yes.

So as you had mentioned, we've got runners from all 50 wards. We've got them from all 50 states, and we've got them from 100 countries. And I think what we're most excited about is being able to run through our neighborhoods, 29 neighborhoods. And you've got perfect strangers, along with friends and family, coming along out around our marathon route to show the diversity and the culture in Chicago.

All right, Rita, thank you so much for that insight. I mean, that is the biggest part of this, is that Chicago pride really shines through during this race. Right. Rita, thank you so much for joining us this morning. And as she mentioned, that is going to be happening through 29 different neighborhoods, across the city. So keep in mind if you are heading downtown, barricades will be up in all those areas as well. So give yourself some extra time even if you're coming down to support the runners here. The race kicks off right behind us at 730. You will continue to be live for you the rest of the morning.