Expo/Swag: The expo is at McCormick place on the south side which can kind of be a bugger to get too, but isn't too out of the way. I got there right away on Saturday and as soon as you enter they were handing out posters for the race. Then I waited maybe 5 minutes to get through the line to check in. From there they give you a number to go to and someone had already grabbed my bib packet, so it was a very fast process. From there you go to a different stall to get your shirt/swag bag and that was pretty quick too since each stall was separated by gender and shirt size. I didn't stay too long at the expo but I did stop by the Asics and Nike spots. Everyone there was super friendly and willing to give advice about running for the first time. It was just a great positive atmosphere in the entire building. The shirt this year is a red nike shirt with Bank of America Chicago Marathon in white letters. I love it! In most shirts I wear a S or a M (5'9, 140) but I sized up to a L just to be safe and I'm glad I did because I think they run a little small.

Parking/Transportation: Since I live in the city I took the CTA to get to Grant park on race day. Due to past issues with train delays on other races my roommates and I left at 4:30 just to be on the safe side. We were able to get downtown in 45 minutes (normal travel time) which I was amazed by. We may have just beat the rush, but the city really seemed to have stepped up for the day. I'm sure it did get busier as the start time got closer but it all seemed much more organized than for past events.

Pre-Race area: As soon as you entered the race area there were a couple of the bag drop off areas, hydration tents, changing areas, and racing supplies. The bag check places were well organized and I didn't have to wait at all to drop off or to pick up later on. The racing supplies had sun screen, extra safety pins, and vaseline for people to use as well just in case you had forgotten anything. There were tons of port-a-potties around as well to use.

Course: AMAZING! I've done races in downtown Chicago before but I don't think I'll ever get over how gorgeous it is. You start out running through the heart of downtown into the streeterville area. Then once you get onto LaSalle you take that all the way North to lake view east. Once you get back to the loop they take you west out by the United Center then you slowly make your way down to China Town. Although I was ready to die at that point, I will say that that portion was probably one of my favorites. Then they keep sending you south for the final loop until you turn onto Michigan to head back to Grant park. All in all, it's a beautiful course that takes you through 29 different neighborhoods and really shows how different each area of Chicago is. They said there were 20 aid stations but I swear it felt like there was one every mile at least. It never felt like I had to wait too long for anything. All stations had gatorade and water, some had wet sponges and vaseline and then later on they had bananas. A lot of churches and other groups set up impromptu stations as well with pretzels, wet wipes, and tissues. Pretty much the entire course was lined with spectators so even if you didn't know anyone there were tons of people to cheer you on. Port a potties were around about every 3 miles or so and one church in Old Town even opened it's doors to runners. Elevation wise it's pretty dang flat. There are a few inclines over bridges and what not but very minimal. I will say that the the final 400 ft (if even) feet before turning to run to the finish line are up a bridge that I swear never ended but that was probably just because it was right at the end. All in all it's a fast course so it's good for beginners like me or people trying to break a PR.

Post-Party: At the end you get your medal of course (this year had the bean on it), a nice cold gatorade protein shake (chocolate or vanilla), a goodie bag of snacks from Marianos, bananas, and if your over 21 a yellow 312 from Goose Island. I honestly was too tired to walk all the way to the post race so I skipped it but they did have free massages available.

Final thoughts: This was my first marathon and I honestly could not have asked for a better experience. Everyone was incredibly nice and just wanted to make sure you were ok. I stopped a couple of times to stretch on the side of the road and each time either a spectator or a fellow racer checked up on me to make sure I was ok. All of the volunteers were super helpful and all in all it was just a great experience. I would totally recommend it to anyone interested in running a marathon!