German Man Seeking Lost Chicago Marathon Medal 'Really Creeping People Out,' Sources Say
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One day after the 2022 Chicago Marathon, a man claiming to have lost his finisher medal is unnerving the public, Dumb Runner has learned, as he seeks the misplaced memento.
The man, dressed in a dark suit, tie, and hat, has not been identified but he appears to be German, according to several people he’s approached. His most unusual feature, they say, is an image of the 2022 Chicago Marathon finisher medal itself, seemingly seared into the palm of his right hand.
“There was definitely something not quite right about the guy,” said one runner who spoke with the man Sunday afternoon near Cloud Gate, aka “The Bean,” a popular sculpture in a downtown park.
“He walked up to me, kind of smiling in this weird way, and asked whether I’d seen his medal,” the source said, noting that the man addressed him as “Herr Runner.”
“He was a little dude, wearing round eyeglasses. But he seemed super high-strung, and sinister somehow. Maybe because of his German accent, plus the way sweat was beading on his upper lip.”
What happened next, the source said, underlined the stranger’s vaguely threatening nature.
“Dude kind of chuckles to himself, looks me right in the eye, and holds his hand up to my face—and there’s, like, a reverse image of the 2022 medal burned onto it.”
“I was, like, holy shit.”
Eventually the besuited Bavarian walked away, approaching a group of tourists nearby.
Reached for comment, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department said they had received multiple reports of such encounters but had no leads.
“We hope he finds his medal soon,” said the spokesman, “because he’s really creeping people out.”
