Chicago Marathon spectators are technically allowed to bring bags to the reunion area at Grant Park's Butler Field but are strongly discouraged from doing so "to maintain an efficient flow of pedestrians," according to a marathon news release. As in the past, spectators will not be able to congregate at the start of the race or the finish line, but they can gather elsewhere on the route. Spectator bags along the race's course will be subject to random searches throughout the event, and Chicago police will have bomb-sniffing dogs at the race, according to the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications.