CHICAGO (WLS) — As the 47th Bank of America Chicago Marathon approaches its start on Sunday, a host of runners have descended upon the Windy City.

McCormick Place once again hosted the Health and Fitness Expo on Saturday.

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“Feeling great,” local runner Miles Mulder said. “I’ve been putting in the work with Second City Track Club here. Very excited to complete my first marathon.”

Participants took the opportunity to grab some pre-race photos, explore running gear, and leave motivating messages for themselves and others, gearing up for the 26.2-mile journey through Chicago.

“I’m feeling ready,” said Emily Stochel from Indianapolis. “I’ve had a minor injury over the past couple of weeks, so I’m hoping for a strong finish.”

Both Stochel and Annette Fearnot from Indianapolis are gearing up for their debut at the Chicago Marathon, having previously run marathons and cherishing the friendships made along the way.

“Honestly, I treasure the friendships,” said Fearnot. “Running has introduced us to people nationwide, and it keeps us motivated. We’ve got supporters coming from Atlanta and Texas to cheer us on today.”

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Some 53,000 runners will take on the scenic endurance run of Chicago, exploring 29 of the city’s neighborhoods. They are coming from every state and more than 100 countries.

Salt Lake City’s Jacob Archate is trying to break a Guinness World Record.

“For running the fastest marathon in a male astronaut suit,” Archate said.

He’s running in a space suit, which requires a little more training. He says he’s doing it to bring attention to issues affecting everyone around the world.

“That’s why I’m running in this suit. We don’t need to go to space to solve real out of this world problems,” Archate said. “It’s a lot of training uphill and and in the mountains. I trained a lot in a full on Nike dry suit.”

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Regardless of the reason, the courageous athletes are mentally preparing to take Sunday’s race in stride.