See Chicago, on the run

City Running Tours offers a unique way to take in Chicago's sights.

By Dalia Wheatt, Times staff writer
Published November 11, 2007

The running tour
City Running Tours offers programs in Chicago, Washington, New York and San Diego. Distances and routes vary from city to city, and each city has several offerings. Cost of the tours is $60.

Unlike most walking tours where you join a group, for the running tours, you have to create your own group. (And if you don't have hardy friends, it helps to know two people can count as a group.)

For routes and more, go to www.cityrunningtours.com.

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CHICAGO - When my older brother heard that I'd signed up for Chicago Running Tours, he left this mocking voice mail:

"Yeah, hi, I was interested in running around like a nutcase, but I don't want to run around in my hometown. I want you to fly me to Chicago so I can run around there."

When he put it that way, it did sound ridiculous, paying to run by famous landmarks in another city. But that's the basic premise of City Running Tours, which offers private excursions through Chicago, New York, Washington and San Diego. You choose the number of miles, the pace and the sites you'd like to see, and the guide narrates while everybody gets a workout. Think of it as a walking tour, only faster.

Chicago Running Tours offers themed routes, such as the Lakeshore Tour along Lake Michigan and the Wrigleyville Run, which ends at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.

I opted for the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 tour. My high school classmate Vanessa Bayer, who had recently relocated to Chicago, agreed to come along. We hadn't seen each other since graduating in 2000. Reunion and running in the big city.

On a recent Monday evening, Vanessa and I sat on the floor of her Lakeview neighborhood apartment, lacing up our sneakers. We both jog semi-regularly, but we had qualms about organized running. Vanessa called herself a slow jogger. I was exhausted after a 6 a.m. flight from Florida and a day of trudging through drizzly city streets. I would literally be running on no sleep.

Maybe my brother had been right; maybe running around with one long-lost acquaintance and one complete stranger was a nutty idea.

But it was too late to back out now. I'd already paid $60 apiece online for the tour, and our guide had called to say she was heading our way via the El train.

Smokie Arce, a Puerto Rican native with a kind face and tree trunks for legs, showed up around 6:30 p.m. On the sidewalk outside Vanessa's apartment, we signed waivers if we dropped dead on the Magnificent Mile, it would be our fault and began a light jog through Lakeview's tree-lined streets.

Smokie kept to our pace, about an 11-minute mile, while we dodged pedestrians and bikers on the sidewalks. As the sun dimmed, we trekked through North Avenue Beach, where Smokie pointed out landmarks, most of which I can't remember. She also told us about her weekend bartending job, her love of jazz and painting, moving from New York to Chicago and meeting her boyfriend. I think his name is Dustin.

At dusk, when the city lights began to sparkle, we ran over a bridge and onto the Magnificent Mile. In between taking note of a few more monuments, we gushed over our favorite clothing shops and speculated as to whether Oprah lives in the John Hancock Center. Vanessa and I traded Facebook-confirmed gossip about high school friends. Smokie told us about a guy in Wicker Park who could hook us up with silver earrings for next to nothing. Vanessa told Smokie where to catch the best improv in town. Smokie told Vanessa where to get the best pancakes in town.

In the darkness, past the bustle of shoppers along Michigan Avenue, we reached Millennium Park. Our guide handed us bottles of water from her backpack, and the three of us caught our breath under the 110-ton, bean-shaped Cloud Gate sculpture, sipping in comfortable silence.

My legs felt like noodles. We decided to walk home. It took more than an hour to plod back to the apartment, my skin covered in goose bumps from the chilly night air. I told Vanessa and Smokie I would no longer make fun of the contestants on Fat March for being too exhausted to walk. It was after 9:30 p.m. when we arrived in Lakeview.

On a dark sidewalk a few blocks from Vanessa's place, Smokie gave me an Internet printout about the Great Chicago Fire - all the stuff she would have mentioned en route, if not for our nonstop gabfest.

Smokie thanked us for coming on the tour and promised that her boss would mail us City Running Tours T-shirts.

She smiled. I shrugged. We shook hands, then she headed off to meet her boyfriend at a restaurant Vanessa had recommended.

A hug would have felt more appropriate.

Dalia Wheatt can be reached at (727) 893-8717 or dwheatt@tampabay.com.

[Last modified November 7, 2007, 17:33:34]