As far as big city races and World Marathon Majors, I've done Boston, NYC, MCM, and Chicago. Chicago has the award for most crowds, hands down. It didn't hurt that the weather was beautiful so people came out in droves to support!

I registered on a whim since I had guaranteed entry and could skip the lottery. I figured I should run it while I could, who knows what the next year would bring and it checked Illinois off my list. I'm glad I did, it was a great trip and my birthday marathon!

Getting to Chicago is easy and I had a direct flight from Virginia. I didn't want to mess with a car so I used my own two legs and Uber to get around. Getting to the expo was the hardest part, but I made it. Giant expos are my least favorite part of big marathons, so I make a point of running in, grabbing my stuff, and running out. It was huge but well organized and pretty efficient given the size of the crowd milling around. I got out of there and went to my hotel (Westin North River). This was a great location to stay, by the way. Walk to great restaurants, walk to start, walk back from finish. Perfect. I made a side trip to the Shedd Aquarium one day and a local friend showed me all around the awesome parks by the lake. Beautiful area!

Chicago is obviously a big city marathon, which means "scenery" is equivalent to neighborhoods, tall buildings, and big crowds, not beautiful foliage and coast lines. You run it for that electric vibe, not peaceful scenery. This is not usually my preferred type of race, but it is fun to run "the big ones."

I was in corral C, first wave on race morning. I walked from my hotel, along with lots of other people. The race area was well organized and efficient. I didn't carry anything other than water and a banana with me so security was easy. LOTS of portajohns and easy to get where you need to be, just make sure to give yourself time.

The course is VERY flat, with some "bumps" rather than hills. I actually found it was one of my slower times, and I think that has to do with the flat course and the fact that I knew I had a hilly marathon the next weekend, so I soaked up the sights and sounds instead of hoofing it. You run through a ton of the city and the crowds are never ending. There was one point where a couple had a sign that said "Puppy Power Here" and one of them was holding an adorable puppy. Needless to say I ran over to get my puppy fix before continuing on. That was the best part of any marathon ever. :)

Lots of aid stations and bathrooms if you needed them, pretty much every mile I think. The only downside to this is I could smell the bathrooms before I saw them. Gross. I appreciated the availability of water and gatorade though. One other cool thing was the blue tangent line painted on the road. I think this was the first time the elites didn't have pacers so they painted the blue line to show the most efficient route. I tried to follow it pretty closely but still came in over 26.2. It was very cool to think that I was running in the footsteps of the elites and idols like Deena Kastor.

The finish was packed and it felt great to cross the line. Here's where my three star SWAG rating comes in: the t-shirt is actually pretty crummy and boring and the medal was lackluster. I don't run solely for the medal (ok maybe I do) and given how much this race cost and what a big deal it is, I was kind of let down by their choices. Still happy to have earned it but could have been much better. After I get my medal and space blanket, I picked up some water and walked the mile or so back to my hotel. Great shakeout for the legs!

Overall: Just like all of the big city marathons, I think they're worth doing once (more, if you like the crowds!). I still prefer small and simple with nice scenery, but Chicago is pretty special. It's masterfully organized and run, and seems to go off pretty flawlessly. I enjoyed spending time in the city itself and getting to see it on foot on a beautiful day. If you get the chance, I definitely recommend running it and seeing for yourself.