Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon

Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon

Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon

( 48 reviews )
100% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Urbana,
    Illinois,
    United States
  • April
  • 3 miles/5K, 6 miles/10K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon, Virtual Race
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

See more of our race!

Join us in Champaign-Urbana April 25-27 for our annual race weekend and experience Midwest hospitality like you've never felt before!

Kate

Chicago, Illinois, United States
15 2
2015
"Very Flat and Fairly Fast"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Kate 's thoughts:

Top reasons I'm giving it 5 stars:
- small and manageable field
- easy parking and stress-free navigation on race day
- super-affordable entry fee
- flat and (mostly) fast

This was my 9th marathon and my 2nd time qualifying for Boston, so I definitely agree with others that it's a great race to reach for a PR!

My one caveat would be that the course got really crowded around mile 8 or so, which might hamper your time. We ran through a beautiful park with restored prairie and native plants, which was a welcome break from the otherwise suburban scenery, BUT it reduced us to a narrow sidewalk without room to pass.

The expo is small, but that also made it manageable and non-exhausting. Still plenty of booths to stock up on free candy.

As other reviewers have mentioned, it's a flat course except for a hill at mile 24. It's not a terrible hill, but it's good to be prepared for it.

Parking near the start/finish area was free and pretty easy. There are lots as well as ample street parking. Since this race is fairly small, it's a breeze to navigate your way to your starting corral. You don't need as much time to get there as you would at a bigger race.

The aid stations were awesome, and the volunteers were SO cheerful despite the horribly rainy and windy weather. It was clear which tables had water and which had Gatorade, and there was Gu available several times along the course.

I don't really care about the race t-shirt (I rarely wear them) but I was SUPER excited for the fleece blanket at the finish!!!! It was so warm and cozy -- perfect, since I was soaking wet and freezing by the end of the marathon.

And the medal has Abraham Lincoln on it!

The race management was wonderful overall, but I deducted 1 star because of a currently ongoing lack of communication. A little over 3 hours into the marathon -- when I was running up the hill in mile 24 -- a cop car drove through announcing that the race was cancelled due to severe weather. There weren't many runners near me, and the few who were nearby kept running. I slowed momentarily while trying to decide what I should do -- seek shelter or keep going -- and ultimately decided that it would be better to keep running and find my friends at the finish line rather than get stuck in the middle of nowhere without my phone.

I crossed the finish line and my understanding is that the time counts for Boston, but it's more than 48 hours after the race and this still hasn't been confirmed. Some friends from my running group are very anxious because they were told that finishing times from cancelled races don't count. It's especially stressful for first-time qualifiers, so it would be great if the race organizers would send out some sort of communique about it.

But that's likely a one-off type of situation, so overall I'd say definitely consider the Illinois Marathon if you're looking for a flat local course.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Latest reviews

Loading Reviews...