The Bank of America Chicago Marathon Gives a Boost to the Local Economy and to Nonprofits

Dec 26, 2012

Tim Maloney: The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a world class event. We draw 1.7 million visitors to the streets of Chicago, 45,000 runners traversing through 29 neighborhoods. There’s nothing like it. It’s absolutely electric.

Pat Quinn: The Chicago Marathon is one of the most premier events in the whole world, having people come together and celebrate that athletic achievement, it’s just so inspiring.

Dan Solis: Economically this is a tremendous benefit. I mean we’re talking about tens of thousands of people being concentrated in the neighborhoods of Chicago. People get hungry, people get thirsty, they shop, they eat, it really benefits the local commercial businesses in the city.

Tom Cooney: The Bank of America Chicago Marathon contracts a large number of vendors, but then those people go back to their business community and hire people or buy things and that creates jobs

Tim Maloney: At Bank of America we have tried to connect the dots with the Bank of America Chicago marathon for social benefit, economic benefit and philanthropic benefit. Last year’s race had an economic impact of $219 million. That’s an increase of 28% from the prior year. It means so much to us to do this well, because we know the benefits that are produced by this race extend far beyond one Sunday in October.

Carey Pinkowski: The Bank of America Chicago marathon philanthropically has partnered with charities that have a local and national focus. Last year in 2011, these charities, through their participants, raised over $13.4 million, which was an all time high for us. 10,000 runners supported these charities and that tradition continues. It’s one of the unique facets of this great event.

Tim Maloney: A special element in this year’s Bank of America Chicago marathon is we’re going to honor and cheer on military members running and thank their families and our veterans who have served our country so well. It’s going to be a very special recognition for the men and women of the military.

Brendan Reilly: Bank of America has been a trusted friend and partner and It’s events like the Bank of America Chicago Marathon that help keep this city strong. So this is a valuable, valuable asset that we now have on an annual basis and we’re very thankful for it.

The 35th Bank of America Chicago Marathon took place on October 7, bringing together 45,000 runners, 12,000 volunteers and 1.7 million spectators from around the world on one extraordinary Sunday. When the runners and spectators converged in Chicago, they had raised millions of dollars for hundreds of charities and spent millions in tourism dollars.

For more than two decades, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon has had a significant economic impact on the city. According to a University of Illinois report on last year’s race, the event contributed over $219 million of business activity and created the equivalent of 1520 full-time jobs. Every year, the race attracts new visitors, strengthens Chicago as a tourist destination, and diversifies the city’s economic base.

In addition to boosting the local economy, Bank of America’s support for the race is a significant fundraising opportunity for nonprofits. Last year, the Marathon raised $13.4 million for local, national and global organizations. From 2002 through last year, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon’s program generated more than $85 million for charitable causes. This year, almost 90 nonprofits entered the race.

Says Bank of America Chicago and Illinois Market President Tim Maloney, “At Bank of America, we tried to connect the dots with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon for social benefit, economic benefit, and philanthropic benefit. Last year’s race had an economic impact of $219 million, that’s an increase of 28% from the prior year. It means so much to us to do this well because we know the benefits produced by the race extend far beyond one Sunday in October.”

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The Bank of America Chicago Marathon Gives a Boost to the Local Economy and to Nonprofits

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