Hurricane Milton causes some Florida runners to cancel Chicago Marathon – NBC Chicago

Although tens of thousands of runners have long been preparing for the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, those planning to travel from Florida face a major threat from Hurricane Milton.

“I'm really nervous because I grew up here and this is the first time we've really gotten a slam dunk like this,” Jaimie Alliel, a Tampa native, told NBC Chicago. “I'm disappointed and sad and I see on Facebook and in the groups everyone's upset about it… and I just think I need to pack up my whole life and go somewhere else for a few days and hope I can come back somewhere.”

Alliel has been competing for ten years and 2024 would have been her first Chicago Marathon. She said the area is already recovering from Hurricane Helene last week.

Alliel isn't the only one who made the difficult decision to drop out of the race this year, and West Palm Beach resident Tina Daughtry wasn't able to make the trip safely either.

“You work so hard for these races and it takes months to prepare,” she said. “I've been racing in Chicago for a few years, I love the race, it's my favorite race… it's already very flooded, the gas supply is really running low, we wanted to race to save money, but that's not going to work out.” “

Daughtry will hide and hope for the best while Alliel evacuates and heads a little further north. Both were able to postpone their race to 2025.

Chicago Marathon officials issued the following statement:

“Our thoughts are first and foremost with all those affected by Hurricane Milton. We are closely monitoring the situation and how this very severe storm may impact participants from Florida and other areas potentially affected by the storm. We understand that these participants may not be able to participate in this year's race as they navigate the unknown challenges ahead and focus on their own safety and well-being. We will be in touch with participants in the coming days to provide information about their options regarding participation in this or future Bank of America Chicago Marathons.”

Officials say Hurricane Milton, now a Category 5 storm, could be the worst hurricane to hit Florida in more than a century.

Tampa and Orlando airports are already closed and mandatory evacuations are in place along the coast.