Such an awesome experience! This was my first big city marathon, and it was an unforgettable and amazing atmosphere. In the other two marathons I had run before Chicago, I ended up running alone quite a bit from miles 18 to 24. This was when I needed people the most too! Both of these previous marathons I bonked super hard and came nowhere close to reaching my time goal. I went into this race thinking that I would probably bonk again and not come close to the 3 hour mark and BQ I was shooting for. I ran the first half of Chicago in around 1:27 and was feeling good. By the time I got to mile 18 (where I normally start to bonk), I was still feeling good. Once I got to mile 20, I realized I might actually have a shot at breaking 3 hours! The crowds the entire race were amazing. Spectators lined basically the entire course, and every time I thought about slowing down, I would be urged on again by the crowds. Not only that, but I was surrounded by about 45,000 new runner friends. I for sure never had to worry about running alone in this race. But despite the huge number of runners, I never felt claustrophobic or squeezed in. It was such a perfect environment for running! And all the volunteers did such a great job, regardless of whether they were handing out Gatorade or directing runners. Overall, I ended up finishing the marathon in around 2:56.30. I was so grateful and felt so blessed to have finished under 3 hours. I didn't have super high expectations going into the race, but the flat terrain, perfect weather, and amazing crowds all combined to create a perfect situation for a big PR! ChicaGO run this marathon! You won't regret it.