Chicago Urban Thru-Hike: Initial Thoughts

Jul 6

The iconic Chicago skyscrape on the Altra Chicago Urban Thru

Last weekend, with the support of my trail shoe, Altra Zero Drop Running, I undertook an urban hike that had never been on my radar: Chicago.

For one thing, Chicago is a pretty flat city and my urban thru-hikes thus far have been all about maximizing elevation gain and training goals within a city environment. That being said, I have done two urban thrus in Denver, but that was mostly because it was in my hometown, making transportation and logistics much easier.

Another reason why Chicago had never been on my radar is because, frankly, I was a little intimidated by Chicago. I had heard from others that parts of Chicago were not safe for a girl to walk through alone.

After hiking the Chicago thru, I found the experience incredibly empowering.

First—I was so fortunate to be accompanied for most of the trip by Altra’s VP of Marketing, Colleen, who lived in the city for 10 years and knew the architecture, urban planning, and history of the area like no other. Her thoughtful commentary accompanied with the incredible sights of Chicago made me really thing that Chi-town is one of the coolest cities ever!

Second, Colleen and I found the hike to be incredibly safe. I feel ashamed that I had been worried about hiking here.

Third, like I’ve found on many urban hikes, conceptually, it is a lot easier for me to think “I’m going to hike 60 miles through the mountains this weekend” than it is for me to think “I’m going to hike from one edge of town to another.” When I told taxi drivers that I was going to walk from McCormick Place all the way to Evanston, they gave me this crazed look like what I was proposing was impossible. It was so cool to see the city by foot and take it all in at a speed that the mind can process things at.

Here are a few photos from my trip! I’ll post the map and some tips soon for those looking to go on this sweet urban hike themselves.