This was my first marathon, and it's still one of my favorite. The marathon course winds through the different neighborhoods, taking runners on an awesome tour of Chicago. Race management is top notch, and this is a very spectator-friendly course.

Temperature at gun time was cold - about 30 degrees. I wore lots of (disposable) sweats outside my running kit, so I was nice and warm during the wait at the starting line. I made a rookie mistake by not keeping my gloves for longer, and by the end of the race my hands were extremely cold and I struggled to take my nutrition.

No surprises in this race, straightforward and smooth the whole way. I had some unexpected cramping and hit the wall earlier that I would have liked, but I found a nice woman to tow me over the line at 2:59:56!

T-shirts are always solid at this race, and I highly recommend. This is a way to participate in a HUGE race that is still run very, very well. Worth traveling for!