Disclaimer: I ran the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon as a BibRave Pro, which means my race entry fee was covered in exchange for social media promotion and reviewing the race!

I was excited to run the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon in 2019!

Logistics: My family and I stayed at the Homewood Suites hotel, which was a short 3 minute drive to the start/finish area. The expo was in the same place that the finish/start area were which made it easy to get to and park. I applied for elite status for the race which meant that logistics were even easier for me. I was able to warm up race morning at a hospitality suite in the i-Hotel and have access to the bathrooms. My husband commented that logistics for him to get himself and our two young kids to the finish were probably the easiest they have ever been.

Expo: The expo packet pickup was the day before, located in the campus rec center. Everything was very well marked and there were volunteers with large orange fingers EVERYWHERE helping out. The contents of the expo were fairly standard. My kids enjoyed getting some swag from all of the booths and I got my picture taken with my number in front of the race wall.

T-Shirts/SWAG: The t-shirts were long sleeve technical fabric and neon green. Probably not my favorite but the fleece blanket that we got at the finish made up for it! The race also does free race photos, which is one of my favorite amenities races can do! The medals were very colorful and detailed and featured Abe Lincoln.

Aid Stations: The aid stations were well placed and well supplied. I liked that they had several Gu stops along the course instead of the typical one. I noticed the medical aid stations along the course were also extremely well marked, which might be the first time I have noticed these along a race course (even though I thankfully did not have to use one).

Course: The course is known as flat and fast - a good course for a PR, although that wasn't the case for me. Someone told me that the course had a lot of turns but I wasn't prepared for just how many turns that was! It was pretty crowded during the first part as the half marathon and marathon ran together. My favorite part of the course was miles 8 and 9 which were through a nice park. Otherwise it was mostly a neighborhood route.

Elevation: The elevation is flat. There is a minor incline around mile 24 which honestly didn't feel too bad, even at it's placement.

Race Management: Top-notch race management! I was very impressed with the communication from the race directors leading up to the race. We received very thorough race update emails for months ahead of time. As part of the elite group, I also had some extra communication from the race directors with specific instructions for us, including an informational pre-race meeting, which I attended. They were very thorough in all of the information and genuinely wanted to make this event a top-notch event to attract a bigger field of elites in the coming years.

Another well-organized, easy to navigate race experience! Kudos to the Illinois Marathon for putting on a good event!