Well run and organized despite the large numbers. Expo was easy to get to with provided bus transportation. Great freebies such as a Chi Marathon specific poster and a World Marathon Majors swag bag were nice, unexpected perks. Neat landmark specific finisher medals. Really nice finishers chute with numerous opportunities for post-race photos, nutrition such as protein shakes and bars, a bag of multiple snacks, gels, water, chocolate milk, gatorade and more. Quite a walk from the finish to bag pickup, but your legs will thank you for this the next day! Shirts were ok and not as nice as I would have expected of a Nike shirt. Many mats along the route make race day tracking for friends and family super informative. Even if you don't like crowds, racing Chicago is a bucket list item.

Great race, beautiful scenery, excellent swag bags and medals, great volunteers! Perfect fall race in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan!

Benefitting Special Olympics the Lake Antoine Classic is going on near 40 years of racing. The experience shows as the race is well run. The 5-mile route is solely a road race going around beautiful Lake Antoine. A flat, fast course gives a great opportunity for PR's. The 15K is a combo of both road and trail as it dips into the Fumee Lake Natural Area for some trail running. Great volunteers and race director make this event a must-do. Professionally timed with nice plaques for awards. Also offers a 2-mile run/walk for kids and families. Both the 5-mile and 15K typically see a pretty competitive field so more serious racers can expect competition while less competitive will love the views and great weather!

Whistlestop was my 3rd marathon ever. Busses to the start of this point-to-point course drop you off in what seems like the middle of nowhere. A small cabin/shack with some port-a-potties behind it are the only indication that you are at a race start. Ashland has many lakes, so the start area has some nice, short inclines to do a bit of a warm up on. Some runners did attempt to stay warm in the cabin, but it was extremely crowded, so throw away clothes or bag check are recommended for the pre-race area. Though there were less port-a-potties than I am used to at races, it seemed to be an adequate amount as none of the lines ever got extremely long.

The course is a old railroad grade so it travels through the woods, past farms and fields and over streams. Its pretty remote and I was often virtually alone on the route, but it's gorgeous. I believe the trail is multipurpose, so the surface varied from hard packed to sandy in areas. As you get close to the finish, the trail does turn into a paved bike path.

Water station volunteers were enthusiastic and supportive. Neat medals, great finisher jackets and cool trophies make for unique swag.

First marathon ever and loved this race. Hypothermia warnings on the course made racing a bit challenging, but I'll take cool over hot any day. Great volunteers, amazing pacers, beautiful scenery. GREAT first marathon experience! Duluth is beautiful and lots of fun post-race things to do! Hotels are pretty pricey, but we stayed in a suburb for a fraction of the cost and didn't regret it as travel to the busses in the morning was seamless!