The Chicago Marathon

The Chicago Marathon

The Chicago Marathon

( 250 reviews )
99% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Chicago,
    Illinois,
    United States
  • October
  • 3 miles/5K, 26.2 miles/Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Heather

Chicago, Illinois, United States
109 87
2015
"Such a well-oiled machine of a race!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Heather 's thoughts:

The 2015 Chicago Marathon was held on Sunday, October 11. The Expo, held at McCormick Place, was on Friday 9am - 8pm and Saturday 9am - 6pm. Weather on race day started in the upper 50s, but ended at 80 - and all sun, all day. It was hot and unpleasant for some (ME). This was my second marathon, and I had high hopes, since training went fairly well, and I was going into the race feeling pretty good both mentally and physically. The day didn't go how I wanted, but that's life. No one can tell mother nature what to do ;)

Things I liked:
+ The lottery was open for about a month, and then when you heard if you were selected, I think you had a week or two to register.
+ Packet pick-up was easy breezy. You got in one of the many lines to give a volunteer your code (from email, printout, or the info guide they sent in the mail) and showed them your ID, then they told you which number booth to go to, and when you got there, they already had your envelope waiting for you.
+ So many great exhibitors! I was glad that I went Friday, because I used up a lot of energy looking around/purchasing goodies.
+ They validated parking so it was $10 instead of $20
+ Virtual goody bag, so I didn't have to go through and recycle all the coupons in my bag.
+ The shirts were red and true to size (gender specific) - more designed than last year. They had a shirt exchange station if you needed a different size.
+ Great communication from the race. We got emails updating us on weather, expo info, etc.
+ It was very clear where you needed to go depending on what wave and corral you were in - I found it easy to find where I should be.
+ Plenty of aid stations that were well-manned with volunteers, and each were about 2 city blocks long. Always gatorade first and then water, in different colored cups.
+ Running through the different neighborhoods of the city is a great way to tour it.
+ Amazing crowd support.
+ I found that I had little problems with congestion, though that might have been because I was back of the pack. I heard there were more issues with the faster groups.
+ I fell behind the pacing requirement, and even though mile markers, timing mat, and clocks were taken down, there were still volunteers to give out water, gatorade, bananas (at certain miles) - and they still let plenty of people finish that weren't within the timing requirement. I don't know at what point they picked people up, but I was thankful for the opportunity to finish, even if it wasn't official, and it wasn't through the actual finish line. I also received a medal, which I fought hard to earn.

Things I disliked:
- The weather, but again, that can't be controlled.
- It can be difficult to always run on a flat surface, since the roads are rounded a bit and you may not always be able to run down the center (I personally was trying to stay out of the sun as much as possible, since I was feeling sick, which in turn meant I was running on a weird angle, which turned into major hip pains about half way through the race).
- Even when I was still within the proper timing for running, I noticed the crowds had thinned out significantly. I know a lot of people go around following their friends and family, but it would be nice for the slower folks to get some cheering as well - they're working hard too and could use it. Some spots were fantastic, others, not so much. Not sure if it bothered anyone else, but I was glad to have made some friends on the course to help distract me from my pain and feeling sick, since most places didn't have the crowds to feed off.

This race is so well-organized. After all these years, I'd say they've figured it out (I would guess being a World Major has something to do with it, too. After all, it has about 45,000 runners, and you can't be disorganized with that kind of crowd). I'd definitely consider putting my name in for the lottery again next year. Whether you are a resident of Chicago, or come in from out of town, I think it's a race any marathoner would be excited to be a part of.

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