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☰
Illinois Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Illinois Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 4.4
Number of comments: 172 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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Fighting Illini from Chicago
(9/23/2012)
"Great race to qualify for Boston" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Illinois Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run this marathon every year since its debut - it is a great marathon! Course is listed on the 'top ten' fastest for those looking to BQ. Course meanders through Urbana and Champaign (university campus towns about 2 hrs south of Chicago, IL). Best part: course includes well-spaced aid stations and Marathoners are offered 4 GU stops - this is amazing!! Strong crowd support throughout - which is great for this mid-size race. Event coordinators have made it a full 'weekend/family' event - with various race distances, pasta dinner and motivational speakers, and small race expo. Registration includes technical running shirts (first year was long sleeve, then went to short-sleeve, and now going back to long-sleeve) and nicer, heavy-weight medal. Post-race food spread has thinned down in the past few years - note that runners have to climb up a few stadium steps to get to the food. In summary, this marathon is awesome for the flat/fast course, generous race stations, great crowd support, and event-packed weekend schedule! | |
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R. D. from Champaign, IL
(9/18/2012)
"Fast, Flat, and Volunteers/Spectators = Rad Run" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Illinois Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I have run this race twice, and I'll be back again. It's not the most scenic, and living in this town, I've run this route about a billion times in training for other marathons. I could probably hit each tangent in my sleep. However, there is really something awesome about race day in this town. The support for this race is unbelievable and rivals races I've run in larger cities. There is really no part of this race I've run where you feel like you are alone, and that is beyond cool. You do run through mostly residential areas, and there is a slight, and i do mean slight elevation change between 23-25 miles. I admit, it's a crappy place for any elevation change, but honestly, if you run any marathons anywhere else in the country... It's not even a hill. This is about the flattest course I've ever run. The last mile of this race is almost completely downhill and you finish on the 50 yard line of memorial stadium, which is pretty awesome. Your family and friends can't wait for you there, but they are up in the stands, which are alphabetized, so it's easy to find them. You can buy a shower pass to clean up in the locker room there at the rec center for $5, and that is super handy if you are from out of town or if you aren't, and just want to relax those muscles in a warm shower and then eat without having to go home first. | |
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P. S. from Nashville, TN
(8/4/2012)
"Great mid-size BQ race" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Have run Boston Marathon twice and qualified again at Illinois Marathon. Course is nice: flat, residential, and amazing crowd support. The whole community seems to be very proud and enthusiastic supporters of this race. The weather was perfect for running: around 50 degrees and partly cloudy skies mostly. My only complaint would be the finishing food could be a little more imaginative than pizza and pasta. | |
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J. P. from Sioux Falls, SD
(6/18/2012)
"Nice marathon through the city" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Champaign puts on a nice event- flat course, plenty of turns. Everything starts and finishes at the area around the football stadium and the volunteers do a fine job. Important to get lodging early as everything was booked several months in advance and I had to stay 25 minutes from town. | |
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P. G. from Urbana, IL
(5/4/2012)
"Best volunteers!" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Illinois Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This race had great volunteers! Marathon started on time and has the best finish (50 yard line of Memorial Stadium). Course wasn't too crowded. Brooks shirts were nice as well as the string bags - much better than the plastic bags from some other races. Good value considering the price compared with bigger races. Less fan support this year due to the damp, cool and windy weather - nice for runners, not so great for fans. | |
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Julie Ralston from Streator, IL
(5/2/2012)
"The one experience to top Boston!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Wonderful race! I ran the half last year and returned this year to race the full. Mike Almquist and the race director do a great job of organizing the race and providing good Elite support. I loved the course (even the slight elevation change between miles 24-25), and was able to enjoy the experience even more than last year. Twice the distance, twice the fun! We were blessed with a break in the weather and I was able to pull out a PR! Thanks to all who helped and I hope to C-U at the finish in years to come! | |
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K. Y. from Chicago, IL
(5/2/2012)
"Nice course, well organized, awesome spectators" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Packet pick up was quick and easy, and parking was readily available for both the race and the expo. The t-shirts are nice, I think you can see the women's from the moon, but I like having something I can feel safe running in at night. I liked the course, especially the run through the park. However, at the end, some of the residential curves probably added on a bit of distance if you weren't running the tangents perfectly. I think I got a little residential viewed out by the end, but I'm not sure what else they could do with it to add more variety. The only thing I can really complain about is that the mylars were all gone, and this was one of the few races where it was chilly enough that I was really looking forward to one. The volunteers and spectators were awesome! Water stops were plentiful, everyone was so positive and helpful, and I don't think I've ever heard 'looking strong' or 'you've got this' so many times in one race. I think it is a nice course, well organized, and a fun time! | |
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S. W. from Chicago
(5/1/2012)
"GREAT SPECTATOR SUPPORT WITH STADIUM FINISH!" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was really impressed by all the spectator support (especially in the first half of the marathon). Tons of funny signs, music, and cheering. The community really supports the event. This was my favorite race so far. Well-organized and lots of fun. The only negative is that with a stadium finish, your friends and family can't be close enough to get a good picture of you (regulated to the stands). I would definitely recommend this race! | |
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R. S. from Belvidere, Illinois
(4/30/2012)
"Excellent from start to finsh." (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Ten stars for the stadium finish!!! | |
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S. L. from Alton, IL
(4/30/2012)
"NOT enough well educated volunteers." (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 After asking two different people how to get to the food AND to the reunion area (neither of whom could help me) I figured it out for myself. They weren't rude, just had no clue how to answer my question. One of the volunteers even said that the reunion area wasn't set up alphabetically, when it clearly was! Also, there were some rude Urbana citizens along the route. Organizers need to be better about keeping frat boys from harassing runners verbally. |
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