Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
I hope you had a great weekend.
My voice is still a little hoarse from cheering the Chicago Marathon runners who made their way through Pilsen Sunday.
I got to 18th and Racine about six hours after the start of the race and was blown away by all the energy still bursting from the scene. Runners of all ages and abilities powered through while spectators on both sides were hooting and hollering.
Some in the crowd hopped off the street to pose for quick photos and hugs with their runner. Other spectators blew air horns and bubbles, offered swigs of tequila, waved signs, popped confetti and danced to blaring house music, cumbia remixes and EDM — all motivating marathoners the Chicago way.
Below, we’ve got a brief recap of the marathon.
But first, we have reporting on an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in Lincoln Square, a London startup setting up shop with U.S. headquarters and more community news you need to know this afternoon. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Native and Afro-Mexican traditions take center stage at Indigenous Peoples Day concert
Reporting by Ambar Colón
Sustaining tradition: The Aztec tradition lives on in Chicago thanks to the efforts of a local dance group. Rosa Huilotlalcoatl Xochitlmazatl Gaytán, the founder of Calpulli Ocelotl-Cihuacoatl, is bringing her group’s ceremonial dance ritual to the Old Town School of Folk Music tonight to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day.
Building community: Gaytán met with others in her church community, and in 2000, she started the group with three families, practicing weekly in St. Sylvester Catholic Church in Logan Square. That group became Calpulli, a dance collective that practices the traditions of Danza Mexica, which honors ancestral wisdom and the connection between the spiritual and natural worlds. Their dances also function as an expression of gratitude for life and sustenance.
A growing group: Calpulli (a term from the Náhuatl language the Aztecs spoke, which roughly translates as “community”) is an intergenerational group, consisting of family and individual members ranging from 6 to 85 years old. Gaytán said that each time a new member joins the group, she encourages them to bring their loved ones along.
If you go: After Calpulli’s performance, Afro-Mexican singer Alejandra “La Morena” Robles, by way of Oaxaca, Mexico, will close out the show with her signature melodious vocals, inspired by the sounds of the coastal Mexican town she grew up in. The free show starts tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
Kyra Epps comes home: The HGTV producer and Chicago native partnered with Habitat for Humanity Chicago to build four houses in Greater Grand Crossing as part of the organization’s annual Women Build event.
FEMA aid for Illinoisans tops $50M: Less than a month after the federal government declared a disaster after the “most prolific tornado event” to hit the Chicago area in recorded history, more than $50.6 million in FEMA assistance has been issued to residents affected by the storms.
Metra proposes $1.1B budget: The commuter rail agency is facing a $226 million deficit in 2026, when federal COVID-19 dollars run out.
New HQ for UK firm: Pirkx, a London-based online benefits platform, has chosen Chicago for its U.S. headquarters and expects to launch early next year. The announcement came as part of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s trip to London last week.
‘The Shawshank Redemption’ turns 30: Since its release, the prison drama has become a classic, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.
SUN-TIMES STAFF SUGGESTS 🍽️
Grab a bite at Ciro
Chef Ciro Parlato stands in the doorway of his Oak Park restaurant, Ciro
Provided
Today’s Sun-Times staff suggestion comes from John O’Neill, deputy editor on the politics and government beat here.
He recommends stopping by Ciro in Oak Park, about a block south of the Harlem stop on Pleasant Street, for your next meal.
What you’ll find: “Ciro is an Italian lunch counter — limited menu, a few seats and big takeout business,” John tells me. “But you can bring your own alcohol and sit there to eat at the counter if there’s room, and the owner, chef Ciro Parlato, will tell you all about growing up in Italy and learning to cook from his family.”
Try everything: “Everything on the menu is outstanding,” he says. And for dessert, Ciro serves a tiramisu that John calls “dangerously good.”
Pro tip: For the BYOB, John suggests going to the wine/snacks place next door, Anfora Wine Merchants.
📍 Ciro, 1048 Pleasant St., Oak Park
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Chicago’s ‘good vibrations’ help thousands of marathoners cross finish line
Reporting by Kaitlin Washburn and Mary Norkol
The steady beat of feet hitting pavement and the encouraging cheers of spectators once again filled Chicago’s streets Sunday for the 46th annual Chicago Marathon. Roughly 50,000 runners were registered to run the race, one of the world’s six major marathons.
Supporters cheered on the runners along the 26.2-mile course that weaves through 29 neighborhoods on Chicago’s North, West and South sides. Chicago’s flat course is also known for breaking records, and Sunday was no different, as Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich won the marathon with an official time of 2:09:56, becoming the first woman in history to run under 2:10.
Runners told the Sun-Times the energy along the course was high thanks to the constant cheers and the city’s captivating views. Aid stations throughout the course supplied 12,000 pounds of bananas and tens of thousands of gallons of Gatorade and water.
In Little Italy, around the 19th-mile marker, music pulsed to keep the runners’ energy high. Spectators rang cowbells, whooped and held signs with clever quips or photos of their loved ones.
At the finish line in Grant Park, the streets teemed with people, including runners draped with shiny silver blankets and purple finisher medals. Spectators, carrying bouquets of flowers and bananas, craned their necks looking for their runners.
Tatiana Moritz, 48, and Cesar Moritz, 51, made the trip from southern Brazil to run their first Chicago Marathon. The couple has run multiple marathons, including another one of the six majors, the Berlin Marathon.
“I like Berlin and Chicago, they’re both great cities,” Cesar Moritz said. “But Chicago was more exciting — the crowd, the music. We know a lot of cities, but Chicago is the best in the U.S.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Did you run or attend the Chicago Marathon this year? What was your favorite sign you saw?
For me, it was a sign with a Super Mario mushroom that read “Touch here to power up.”
Runners would simply touch the sign and be greeted with loud cheers from the person holding it. 🍄
Email us (please include your first and last name). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!
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Written by: Matt Moore
Editor: Esther Bergdahl
Copy editor: Angie Myers