CHICAGO - Registration for The 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon hit 35,000 today and is anticipated to reach its 40,000 participant cap in the next few weeks. Once registration reaches 40,000, runners will no longer have an opportunity to participate in this year's Marathon.

"The Marathon is rapidly reaching its capacity and it will fill up very soon," says Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. "If you have any thoughts of running this year's race, it is imperative that you register immediately. It is unfortunate to see the number of runners that commit themselves to training and fail to meet the registration deadline."

Registration for the Marathon has quadrupled during the past ten years. In 1994, the Marathon had 10,021 registered participants. Now, registration is capped at 40,000 due to the high demand.

"Registration has been on a steady increase during the past several years. We witnessed an astounding 75 percent increase in participation since 1994," added Pinkowski. "We are grateful for the city of Chicago as well as all the people who accommodate these runners and make this tremendous event a reality."

Registration for this year's race is available at the Chicago Marathon's official Web site, www.chicagomarathon.com. Registration is open to all runners who can complete the course in six hours or less. Registration is $80 ($90 for International participants) and can be completed either online or by mail. Registration is also available through various charity organizations associated with the marathon. In addition to registration, many of the Marathon's charities offer training programs and/or incentives to help you raise money for local, national and international charities. Charity information can also be found on the event's Web site. For further information, call 1-888-243-3344 (U.S. or Canada) or 312/904-9800.

Competitive and Preferred starting positions are also filling fast. In order to qualify for a competitive or Preferred start, which will allow you to begin closer in proximity to the start line; you must have completed a marathon in 3:15:00 or less or a half-marathon in 1:30:00 or less. Qualifying times for the preferred start positions are 3:45:00 in a marathon and 1:45:00 in a half-marathon. In order for times to be valid, the marathon must have occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2002 and proof must be received. Visit www.chicagomarathon.com for further details and instructions.

The 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon takes place Sunday, October 10 starting and finishing in Chicago's Grant Park. The race will be broadcast live on CBS 2 CHICAGO and ESPN 1000. Last year's race attracted the maximum 40,000 participants. Elite athletes will compete for a portion of the $650,000 prize purse, the highest in the sport.