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Filed Under:Bank Of America Chicago Marathon, Business, Chicago Marathon, Craig Dellimore, Tourism
Runners compete during the 2014 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 12, 2014. (Getty Images)

(CBS) — With the Chicago Marathon now in its 38th year, organizers are trumpeting a study that shows the race brings a quarter billion dollars of economic impact to the city, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.

A study from the University of Illinois says last year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon generated an overall economic impact of $254 million. That is money spent by the more than 42,000 race participants and others on getting to Chicago and staying here for the race.

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Desiree Rogers, who chairs the city’s tourism group Choose Chicago, says the runners, their families and supporters are good business for the city.

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“Of course there is spending that is on shopping, dining, entertainment, hotels — all of which an average per-person, per-day direct spend was a whopping $570,” Rogers says.

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The numbers show 58 percent of the runners are from outside Chicago and 15 percent are from outside the U.S.