Dec 23, 2024
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☰
Chicagoland Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Chicagoland Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.7 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 2.9
Number of comments: 28 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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D. C. from IL
(5/9/2024)
"Forest preserve run" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Chicagoland Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My favorite of 35 marathons I have run. Relaxing race thru the forest preserve. Flat course, however very long uphill at end is something to be prepared for. Weather is annually normally fantastic for this race (around mid 50's). | |
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B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa
(5/3/2022)
"Nice, relaxed race" (about: 2021)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Chicagoland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A very nice, low stress race with nice people, more than adequate aid stations and parking near the start/finish. I really like how they managed the start during the pandemic. The sweatshirt and medal are first rate. Celebrate your finish at nearby Short Fuse Brewing. | |
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R. P. from Northern Illinois
(6/25/2021)
"A Good Marathon" (about: 2021)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Chicagoland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 A fine marathon that seems to be getting better. Good, well-supplied course support throughout the race. | |
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K. K. from Des Plaines, Il
(5/24/2021)
"Hilly course through forest preserve" (about: 2021)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Chicagoland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The first 3 and last 3 miles are on pavement, but the middle are all thorough the forest preserve. It was a hot and humid day, but still a great race. The course cannot be completely closed so there were lots bikers, but they were very respectful.the aid stations, and cold hydration from 17 to the end were greatly appreciated as were all the volunteers. Easy to get to, parking is adequate and start was smooth as we went off individually every 30 seconds for Covid distancing. Medal and zip running fleece were more that expected from a small local race. I think food at the end was good, fruit cups and all individually packaged, but too exhausted to eat. I was much slower that I wanted to be due to the postponing of races in 2020. So, I will definitely run this next year to redeem myself. I recommend this race to everyone and look forward to a bigger field next year. | |
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R. P. from IL
(5/22/2018)
"Quiet Forest Preserve Race" (about: 2018)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Chicagoland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The second time running this race. This year was cold and rainy. The course is a bike path in a large forest preserve with many out and backs. I ran the marathon with a limited number of runners, and since I am slow I finished near the end. Post race refreshments were amusingly disappointing, a cold burger and fruit cups. Being last that is what you get. The pullover is nice and the medal was much improved. | |
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R. P. from Illinois
(5/24/2016)
"NIce Forest Preserve Course" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Chicagoland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 First time running this course, pleasantly surprised. The course had many out and back paths, so you saw the same runners coming and going, not a problem for me. Food at the end was dismal. The medal was humorously cheap. At mile 18 I encountered a 5k run/walk charity race and had to maneuver around baby strollers and walkers, amusing. | |
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J. S. from Chicago, IL
(5/21/2016)
"Fast, scenic marathon, but some issues" (about: 2016)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Chicagoland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I registered for this marathon last minute after seeing how perfect the weather was going to be that day (40s throughout). However, Chicago weather is very unpredictable in May, and it sounds like this race has fallen on some hot days in past years. Race day packet pickup was really quick, and I was able to stop by the porta potties before the lines formed (which for 1,500 runners, there weren't many porta potties at the start line, so lines built up very fast). There seemed to be some miscommunication at the start; I think the Mayor was supposed to count down, but all of a sudden they blew the horn. Overall, I really liked the course, which passes through a scenic forest preserve. The course is rolling throughout, but mostly flat. The worst part of the course is the very beginning and end, due to the large hill to cross the highway. There were very few spectators along the course, and the large majority were not cheering (they would just kind of stare at you while you pass, which was odd). The exception is around mile 13.5 and 21, where there are parks and parking lots and more spectators around. There seemed to be enough aid stations, but they were slightly uncoordinated (sometimes Gatorade first, then water or vice versa) - at mile 21 I actually missed water because they told me I'd have to run over to the other side of the table to get it, so I figured I'd rather save the time. One critical issue that race organizers need to correct is the cluster F that they have where miles 8, 9.5, 14 and 15.5 all meet in one place (sadly I'm not kidding). This was totally confusing and poorly marked, and there just seemed to be one guy there kind of spinning in circles trying to point everyone in the right direction. At the beginning and end of the course, there's a frontage road that you're on for a few miles; it really wasn't as bad as some of the other commentators have said, although running along the highway after spending hours in a peaceful forest preserve is a slightly jarring way to end a marathon. The finish was a bit underwhelming (my wife said that he announced the overall marathon winner but didn't announce the next finishers, and that he seemed distracted, looking at his phone a lot). I don't recall seeing any food, either. The half-zip is OK but the marathon medal is very ugly. Overall, despite the critiques, I think this is a good race (the course really is pretty), and on a day where the weather cooperates, you can get a fast time here. But there are obvious areas for improvement that race staff should consider. | |
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S. H. from Minneapolis, MN
(5/19/2016)
"Move Parking or Adjust the course" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Chicagoland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 There were a couple of issues with the race this year. The first was the start. There were 1500 of us trying to wedge our way through about a 5 foot opening at the start line. That's an easy problem to fix, so really not too big of an issue. The other problem was after the race trying to get out of the parking lot. There was only one exit and that exit had to cut through the race. So the only time a car could exit was when there was a large enough gap between runners to exit safely. There were people trapped in the parking lot for a long time. Beyond that I thought the swag was pretty decent. They had a nice half-zip tech long sleeve. And a nice design to the finisher's medal. The course was through a nice nature preserve and relatively flat. If they fix the two issues above, I would definitely recommend the race. | |
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R. G. from Florida
(5/18/2016)
"Great course and organization but lacks excitement" (about: 2016)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicagoland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon and I deliberately chose a small venue in a big city with a great layout. Besides it being an overly chilly day, the organizers and the event were very good. The course takes you through 21 miles inside a wooded preserve that made the race really enjoyable. There were two major drawbacks. First, there was some water stations lacking towards the end and the signage became slightly confusing around mile 17. Second, the course got very lonely at the end. This year, there were 1500 entrants and only 300 of them ran the full marathon, so it was quite lonely towards the end and there were not many spectators to speak of. While the course itself is great, the race could use a little excitement at the end. | |
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C. G. from Chicago, IL
(11/17/2014)
"Some nice scenery but some...not" (about: 2014)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Chicagoland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon and I've run one more since. The organization was very good, no complaints there. The woods have great scenery, no doubt. I did not like the loop around (e.g. seeing a sign for Mile 18 at Mile 7), and it's a pretty quiet and at time solitary run. I greatly disliked the hardcore cyclists tearing through the course, apparently greatly annoyed at the plodding runners (guess I would be too if I had no idea there was a marathon/half going on). And the worst part: The home stretch. There is this horrible, dreadful 'God please take me now' (as a fellow runner put it) stretch towards the end. You come out of the woods onto a concrete frontage road that runs parallel to the freeway. You feel the difference in the surface, you hear the dull roar of traffic, there are no spectators, and it is just plain rough. Then you do a weird zig-zag and finish. At least be prepared mentally for that. |
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