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Jun 2, 2024

Naperville Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Naperville Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.0

Organization 4.6

Spectators 4.4

Number of comments: 78 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

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S. V. from Naperville, IL (11/23/2014) "Perfect race" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Naperville Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is the type of race you would want to do your first - first half marathon or first marathon. I ran my first half this year and it is a very good race. The organization of the race is pretty good except for gear check and post race food in cold weather. If these two can be improved for next year, it would be an awesome race in your backyard! Over 6000 participants, good number of aid stations, huge crowd support (at least on half marathon route) etc. Would definitely run next year!
P. v. from lisle, il (11/17/2014) "Nice residential marathon" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Naperville Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Pros: - cool weather, fast race... - course was well marked - lots of spectators (because most of the course went through residential Naperville) - lots of timing stations (5, 10, 13.1, 15, 20, 25 miles) - plenty of water/Gatorade stops with porta potty - a few 'hills' after mile 18, to not make it too easy Cons: - windy - crowded start - remote food court Overall, a good race. Not as scenic as other races, but with more spectators. First half was entirely flat and very fast for half marathon. Second half gave marathoners a nice challenge (still pretty flat). The race (especially HM, up more than 100%, vs 30% up for the marathon) had grown a lot vs. last years and needs to avoid overcrowding (maybe wave start). Keep up the good work, I'll run the marathon next year again.
M. K. from Illinois (11/16/2014) "Great Improvements From Last Year" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Naperville Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran both years of this event, and they really made some great improvements from a good 2013 showing. The course was much better, that went through friendly neighborhoods, their downtown area, and local schools. There was no nasty hill at the end, but rather some challenging and fun hills at the second half of the race. Crowd support and aid stations were more plentiful, instead of being lonely on the trails from last year. I do have some suggestions for next year: - A better finish area with more food (that I don't have to pay for, I already paid the entry) - A runner reunite area (couldn't find my family waiting for me for 15 minutes) - Bigger corrals (had to start outside since they were jammed) - Better opportunities for parking for spectators on the course - Race tracking via text message? I know I have a big list here, but these are small (and fixable) when compared to the big picture, which was a well-executed race that showed the very best of Naperville. I highly recommend doing the half or full for future years to come.
C. B. from Chicagoland (11/12/2014) "The marathon seems like an afterthought" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Naperville Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I ran the Naperville Marathon in both 2013 and 2014. There have been some changes, and most are not for the better. Last year, the entries seemed evenly split between the marathon and the half. This year, the half runners vastly outnumbered the marathoners. It would be better to eliminate the marathon entirely and make the race a half only. The course consisted of upscale suburban neighborhoods that were not closed to traffic. There is nothing like a car barreling down a quiet street (no cones in place and I ran with the middle of the pack) to take the boredom out of this course. The organizers have to learn to be honest about their courses. Last year it was advertised on the website for a while as 'flat and fast'. This year the website promised that the new course eliminated many of the hills. Maybe so for the half, but the marathon had substantial hills in the second half. There is nothing wrong with a hilly and challenging course, but be honest about it. The organizers also promised a less crowded start this year, but it felt like last year due to the larger number of runners. It was the same nonissue to me that it was last year. A very nice touch was the warming area in the high school gym just a short walk from the start. The gear check was fine (no wait at all) by the time I got there, but I went to the food tent first before grabbing my gear. The hooded jackets that replaced the mylar blankets worked great. Those were a real change for the better. The food was somewhat sparse-bagels, bananas, a beef sandwich and some so-so looking pizza (not my thing after a race), but the food may have been depleted by the half runners. I would like to suggest that runners who don't want beer should be able to get a soft drink with their drink ticket. It's a bummer to see hot coffee offered for cash if you didn't carry any money in the race. The spectators are the stars of this race. The cold kept many of them in this year, but those that were out there were encouraging and knew exactly the right thing to say when the hills and the wind were kicking my butt. I think that the organizers have launched too many races in too short a time and have spread themselves too thin. All in all, a disappointing experience that I don't care to repeat next year.
S. M. from Naperville, Illinois (11/11/2014) "Mixed Feelings" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Naperville Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have mixed feelings about this race. I think it was very well organized, with well-stocked water stops and Gu in two locations. I also thought that the spectators were great. The problem is that the race has grown so much. With the half-marathoners, there were more than 6,000 runners. This meant that the entire race is run on suburban streets, which got boring after awhile. I am a Naperville resident and there is plenty of very nice open space in town, but I assume that the organizers couldn't put the course into these areas because there were too many people. The current course is also pretty hard at the end of the race. There are four significant hills in the last eight miles of the course, including one at mile 26. There also was a headwind for much of the race.
J. L. from Wisconsin (11/10/2014) "A Great event!" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Naperville Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was very pleased with my experience of running this marathon. The course is mostly flat with only some minor hills in the second half. Much of the marathon was run through residential areas but are stretches where you run past businesses, schools, an open prairie, and even a wooded area. I especially liked that the course had no out and back stretches. Volunteers and spectators were amazing and really what made this race so great. They were friendly, energetic, and helpful. Very impressed with how many residents lined the streets especially on a fairly cold day. Medals were a nice and shirts were really nice, fit very well which I don't often find with race shirts. Finish area was good. The fitful jackets I liked much better than the mylar blankets that are often given after races. Gear check seemed a little undermanned after the race.Many runners were waiting a while to get there bags. It might possibly be better for the organizers to keep gear separate for full and half runners to cut down on congestion. Post race food was plentiful. Beef sandwich and pizza was salty but satisfying enough. Many other options available surly something for everyone. Overall this is a fantastic small to midsize event which I would recommend especially to 50 staters who like me would rather avoid large races like Chicago.
E. B. from Chicago, IL (11/10/2014) "Hugely Disappointed." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Naperville Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I had heard good comments about this race from it's inaugural year so I had decent expections. These are comments for the half marathon: Pros: 1) The weather - it was cool (high 30s) 2) The shirt is high quality and distinct 3) For a primarily residential race, there were a lot of spectators (at least for the first 6-7 miles) Cons: 1) The course is one of the most boring and unscenic I have ever run. it is 80% residential and 20% on straight, charmless roads leading to nowhere. The subdivisions are cookie-cutter and there are no landmarks. 2) Gear check. I finished <1:50 so I got my bag within 10 minutes (still long). My friend finished in 2:00 and waited in a 45 minute line. How do you feel after 45 minutes of standing in line? The race high has worn off and people were freezing, hungry, and irriated. The volunteers were trying their best, but it was hopelessly understaffed and/or poorly organized. 3) No water bottles at the finish - and all the food was in a tent set away (not in the finishers chute). Even then I had a hard time finding water (just cups by the Gatorade stand). A lot of the better food (and coffee) cost money. I hadn't brought any money and for $100 race fee I would have thought more would be included. To make this better- 1) Route the half marathon through more of the downtown area and/or forest preserves. 2) More volunteers and/or a better system at gear check. There are a lot more charming races than this one in both Chicago and the western suburbs. I think if you live in Naperville you might enjoy this more, for the community support more than anything else. But if you don't live there it is not worth running.
D. W. from Naperville, IL (11/23/2013) "Great race" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Naperville Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Loved it. Got a personal best, despite running a longer course 26.54 miles per my watch. My pacer beside me also measured it long. Hill at the end was unnecessary, but overall well organized, well marked, and a perfect day to run. My suggestion would be to keep running thru the forest preserve, as running on gravel is so much better than the pavement. Actually, add more forest preserve, and cut down the out and backs in Greene Valley. Overall, great race, and I plan to run again next year.
S. L. from IL Illinois (11/23/2013) "good, tweaks sure to follow" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Naperville Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Others have pointed out suggested improvements, but I'll add these: 1) hearing here that there was a warm indoor pre-race option, I would have liked to know that on race day or earlier. I still don't know where that option was. 2) at the finish, food and drink were available in a tent that was in effect part of the chute: runners had to flow through the tent and then once exited with their two handfuls could not return. (This was to keep spectators and family from filching food, or to keep half-marathoners from depriving marathoners from their just desserts.) One problem with this was a delay in having any contact with loved ones, but the main problem is water: no water or other fluids was available anywhere beyond the food tent/chute, which seemed not only inconvenient but petty and on a warmer day potentially dangerous for athletes in need of hydration. Easy solution: have lots of water available in lots of places, post-race. Other solution: Put the food tent outside the chute, accessible and re-accessible to all. Among the previously suggested improvements, a big one is the need to have multiple access points to the self-sorted corrals. I was one of those stuck in the back, far behind my intended pace group, with no way to force my way forward. As the course evolves, please retain as much crushed limestone as possible.
T. J. from Suburban Chicago (11/14/2013) "Nice!" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Naperville Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 They did a great job for a first-time marathon. The course was more challenging than I thought it would be - who knew Illinois has hills?

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