This was my second marathon and my second time running the Chicago marathon (it was so nice I had to run it twice)! The course takes you through several neighborhoods and has great views of the city. It is a very large race - 45,000 runners - but it is part of the international marathon series so the group is pretty diverse. As a Chicago native, I'm biased, but I think it's a beautiful city to run in. The course is very flat and fast - a great race for your first marathon or to try to get a PR.

I think this race is very well managed. The expo is HUGE and operated very well - definitely gets you excited to run the 26.2! The race is sponsored by Nike so the swag and Nike Chicago marathon attire is pretty great. There are plenty of water stations and aid stations and LOTS of volunteers throughout the entire process. I think the race (October) is generally pretty great weather to race in, especially for this past race in 2013.

You hit Chinatown right after most runners hit the "wall" which is a pretty great pick-me-up, though mile 23-24 aren't very scenic - it picks up in the last mile as you run up Michigan Ave towards Grant Park. There were spectators EVERYWHERE this past year - I didn't recall a single part of the marathon this past year didn't have crowds of people cheering.

It's going to be hard for me to top this marathon!