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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.

“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.