I ran my first marathon the inaugural race. This race will always hold a special place in my heart. Naperville is a great place to run. It is very flat and fast. Also a BQ! What I love about this race is how close it was to my house and that my family and friends made it out on the course to see me. It was easy for my parents to bike the course to catch me at a few different points. The community really gets involved and has a blast cheering the runners on! I can't recommend this race enough. The volunteers were amazing and super helpful. Every detail was thought of and made for a great race. The finish line party was well stocked to support very hungry runners with foods from local vendors. In such a young race it can be difficult to start up, but I will return for years as my body allows me too :)

This was my first time participating in a race put on by All Community Events. Registration was a breeze. I did not go the day before to get my packet as it was 45+ minutes one way. I arrived about 40 minutes before the race to get parked and pick up my bib. They did a nice job of creating a fast system for runners to grab their stuff. I was really worried about returning my stuff to my car as this race did not offer a gear check. Luckily I got a close parking spot so I didn't have to walk too far. My mom joined me to spectate the race and we hung out around the start line until the gun went off. This race had pacers for the HM and full marathon which is great for runners who wanted to achieve a certain time or BQ. The start line was full, but not chaotic. You should also know that I never look at race maps before a race. I like the mystery involved and that way I am always have something to look forward too. We started and waved through a back parking lot which seemed odd to me, but it was definitely not crowded. People who wanted to pass had plenty of room. The race took place on road and paved trail, which I really enjoyed. There were many spots where family and friends could drive and park along the course and see their runner a few times. So if that's a big part of your race experience, this race does allow for that. I can't say how they would get back and parked to see you cross the finish line, but my guess is that it wouldn't be too hard. There were many water stops that offered water and Gatorade. I liked that the cups were about 1/3 filled because I end up spilling it if there is anymore than that. I also carried my own bottle (w/ NUUN) and was glad I did. The path we spent probably 80% of the time on was under some light tree coverage which was great because that saved us from getting completely soaked by the rain. I bet it would also be some nice shade if the sun would have been out. There was only one "hill", other than that it was a very flat course. While I didn't run with the pacers, they really seemed to know their stuff and were encouraging to all runners around them. The course was an out and back so we got to see some of the faster runners come back through. I really enjoy running with lots of other runners and tend to lose a bit of motivation if I am by myself.

Fast forward to the end: It was a rather interesting loop we took to get to the finish line. They had a live band jamming out as we crossed. I was handed a medal and then told that they would mail me the correct one. The manufacturer had made a mistake and sent too many 26.2 medals. I was kinda bummed, but was glad they were apologizing. I understood that this was something completely out of their control and it didn't effect my feelings about the race. After I found my mom we went to walk and see what kind of refreshments they had. I was mildly disappointed. When I got to the food all I saw was bananas, grapes, fruit snacks, a vegan granola bar and some beet juice. I am one of those weird people who crazes salty, junk food and a chocolate milk after a run. Now they might have had those things, I was just a mid to back of the pack runner and missed it all. OR maybe they were saving those types of things for the marathoners. I'm not really sure. We looked around to see what else was going on post race and decided to head back to the car. One other thing I would like to mention is that I noticed there was a high level of security and emergency personnel on site. I felt safe the whole time.

Would I recommend this race to a friend? Yes I would. I loved the flat, scenic course, personalized bib and cool race zip up. The food at the finish line was not up to my standards, but again that could just be me. I will keep this race in mind for my future racing schedule.