The last 2 years I've stayed in River North and Streeterville, respectively. Both times, I've done a run early on Friday at home before getting on the road and then we enjoy most of Friday in Chicago... actually last year we did a Saturday morning walking tour... maybe not that bright but whatever. Anyways I've done my Saturday morning shakeouts a little along the riverwalk and then out to the path next to the lake. It seems to be very popular and is a nice way to see countless other runners that are all preparing/nervous for the next day.
I feel like Chicago rolls out the red carpet for the marathon.
Example... In 2016, we did the expo immediately upon arrival. From there we drove over to the hotel, checked in and then headed to the loop area to grab a quick bite to eat. After we finished eating and I was putting our tray away, a random lady that had been eating came up to me and said "you're running the marathon, aren't you?". She proceeded to talk to us for several minutes.
I can always tell a runner when I see one... you're going to have a great race... I did the race years ago... the city will be out on Sunday to support you... running through all the different neighborhoods is amazing... I'll be out watching/cheering for you too... told my wife that she understands it's probably been hard on her because I've trained so hard, but knew she'd be proud too when I finally crossed this finish line... She just gave us tons of love, encouragement, and made our family feel like the whole City of Chicago was welcoming us. Then she asked if she could give me a hug and I accepted! I'm not a hugger and certainly not with strangers, but I went along with it because somehow it felt right... lol.