Chicago Marathon 2012: Route information, course map and more

Thousands of racers in the 2012 Chicago Marathon, one of five world marathon major events, got started Sunday in Chicago with the wheelchair start at 7:20 a.m. and the hand-cycle start at 7:21 a.m. Wave one started at 7:30 a.m. and wave two started at 8 a.m. The wave starts and starting corrals were a new addition to this year's race, designed to make the starting process more organized.

The race started in Grant Park. Here is a map of the course, which takes runners along the coast of Lake Michigan and into several historic parts of the city.

An elevation map of the course is available here. The race starts at an elevation of 601 feet above sea level and ends at 600 feet above sea level. The lowest elevation during the race is 575 feet above sea level and the highest point is 602 feet above sea level.

The race is a major annual event for Chicago and reportedly brought in more than $13 million for the city last year.