This was my first marathon in 2006. To date I've run it 4 more times. It is a race that everyone has to do.

The expo is huge with lots of vendors. You will easily spend hours there - I know I did! You can buy anything you need or want for the race. There you will see many other running friends and/or make new friends.

The race is well organized. There are several corrals and you get assigned one depending on your estimated finish time.

The course takes you through almost 30 different neighborhoods in Chicago. The crowd support is wonderful and supportive. There are plenty of water stations. The neighbors also have their own unofficial stations with water, oranges, candy, pretzels, etc.

Maybe I am biased because I live here but I think it is the best marathon. I've also run the Hartford Marathon, the RnR New Orleans Marathon, and the Walt Disney World Marathon and they do not compare to the Chicago Marathon.