As I reported last year, this video over at Runners World depicts the disastrous 2007 Chicago Marathon exactly as it was described by my friends and dozens of marathoners. A racer friend of mine couldn't find water for miles, and another spectator friend watched with horror as dozens jumped into a public fountain slurping like mad cows at a trough. All this with Lake Michigan lapping at the shore a few blocks away.

This raw video puts the 2007 water controversy to rest. There's no doubt race officials failed to deliver enough water and Gatorade on an unusually hot and humid October day, and not enough participants were willing to suck it up, put their dream on hold and stay home.

Will slightly cooler temperatures, five more aid stations and a new color-coded communication system to alert runners of conditions from good (green), not ideal (yellow), potentially dangerous (red) or even diverted/canceled (black) prevent another Chicago Marathon water controversy? Let's hope 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon officials make good on their promises, and Mother Nature plays nice. The current marathon forecast -- the big race is tomorrow -- calls for partly sunny and a high of 79 F, officially a yellow alert. As the heat rises, officials may flash a red card at later finishers -- Bank of America better bank enough water for a 45,000-strong stampede.

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Last Friday, Nike slapped down a few ads right on top of Chicago's beloved lakefront recreational path to launch the start of a 17-week marathon training program in anticipation of Chicago's marathon this Fall. (Just an aside, I hope race officials are stocking up on water for the big race this October after last year's Chicago Marathon water controversy.)

According to Julie's Health Blog, Nike stuck 10 decals down in the middle of the bike lanes just a few seconds apart from one another for the typical runner cruising by. With slogans such as "You're beautiful when you're sweating" and "Forget the wind, run like a freight train," the ads were allegedly placed without permission. It's reported they have an extremely short life span, about three days, and would have been removed with a complaint from the city. No word yet on the Chicago Park District's response to the ads, says Julie.

With or without permission, slap-down ads bug me. The last place I'd want to step on a fun decal is during a glorious run along Chicago's spellbinding lakefront. As one commenter pointed out, beyond the marketing intrusion, are the ads slippery when wet? Could they trigger a rubbernecking crash? I detest the concept of temporary corporate slap-down ads on recreational paths, even for a fitness training program.

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