Nike's Chicago Marathon Gear, Where Art Meets Running

One advantage to living in the city of the marathon you're going to participate in: you get to see to gear up close and personal before everyone else rolls into town and starts wandering their way through the expo and Niketown. So when you learn Saturday morning, by no one's fault but your own (the event was posted clear as day), that an event later that afternoon will provide an exclusive unveiling of Nike's 2011 Chicago Marathon gear and LunarGlide+ 3, you drop everything and run. Literally.

And to AKIN's Lincoln Park location I went to see what all this hype was about. Who knew that an afternoon away from the stationary bike, elliptical and pool could be such a good thing? Not only to appease the gear junkie that takes up residence within any time an event rolls around, but also to see a celebration of running removed from its usual confines. Art, running, streetwear? When you're a runner like me and you're standing among an audience who look (and shoot pictures) like they high-tailed it from New York's Fashion Week, it's weird, but even I could appreciate meeting local artist Tara D., who designed the 2011 Chicago shoe and T-shirt featured below and got even cooler when she stopped crafting to talk about how she designed these marathon wares.
Because I didn't expect her to say, "I don't know any runners at all." Wait, what? Since she couldn't reach out to friends to learn about Chicago running, she says that she reached out to the community and started studying at the running stores. And I'm not trying to be presumptuous in saying this--I swear something to this effect was expressed--but she married these two small local communities together, the proof was laying on the table.

Whether you're starting to virtually shop for Chicago Marathon goodies before you arrive into town and attend the expo or you locals want to beat the rush and purchase your marathon wish list now, here are more items to add to the roster. Without further ado, the 2011 collection as seen at AKIN.

Nike LunarGlide+ 3 and Dry Fit Tee designed by Tara D.

Nike and Akin Unveil Chicago Marathon Gear and Lunarglide+3

How did I not know about this event until, oh, just now?



I've always thought that I stay on top of at least some of the running action in Chicago and that I'm a reporter, considering I also run with the media team (we'll be out tomorrow at the Bucktown 5K and you've seen some of us throughout the spring and summer at the Soldier Field 10, Elvis is Alive and Fort2Base). I'm nowhere near as recognizable as my media teammates--trust me, I can arrive and depart pretty anonymously, just how I like it--yet I still find and report on the endurance community's news.

But apparently I missed the boat on this release until now. Sure, I got to run in the Lunarglide+3 two weeks before it was officially unveiled--awesome!--and learn about the Nike 26.2 Preview before it actually happened and see some of the 2011 Chicago Marathon gear fresh on the shelves (Fleet Feet had it on display when I stopped by last Saturday). But this? I think I'm rearranging my Saturday schedule--aka workout--to go check it out. The gear is awesome as Fleet Feet already showed me. I need a little running kick in the pants. My run that was supposed to happen this morning hasn't started yet and at the rate I'm going, probably will not. And heck, it beats watching my college football team get beat down on the field.