Chicago was my first full 26.2 experience and I'm already counting down the days until I can enter the lottery for next year. The course is amazing- 26.2 miles of beautiful city and amazing spectators! The expo is phenomenal and you can easily spend your entire life savings there. The organization is top notch and everything just seemed SO, SO easy I really couldn't believe it. The finisher's medal is a beautiful piece of hardware I will keep on display for ever and ever and the dri-fit shirt is great! There are a ton of hotels to stay right along the course, although I do recommend booking a hotel room EARLY as rooms do sell out and prices sky-rocket marathon weekend.

My only recommendation is that if you're flying in from out of town, I recommend making it an extended weekend trip. I flew in Friday and stayed until Monday. Next year I will most likely fly in Thursday and stay until Monday so I have more time to explore the city and take my time at the expo. It was slightly overwhelming!

The course was fantastic. It's FLAT AND FAST! The only real elevation comes around mile 25.5. It's an overpass but once you get up and back down that bad boy, the finish line is RIGHT around the corner. I can't say enough amazing things about Chicago. A HUGE shout out to the amazing people that stand 6 rows deep in some spots and cheer on all of the runners. I had to choke back tears multiple times as I ran. I can't wait to return next year and go for my very first BQ!

Take my word for it..everyone deserves to experience this World Major.

You can find my full recap here:
http://lanseerc.tumblr.com/post/99935812009/2014-chicago-marathon-race-recap

Link to this review