First marathon and couldn't possibly have been smoother! From initial registration, to e-mail communication, ease of the phone app, ease of check-in at the expo, friendly staff and volunteers, highly organized for 45,000 runners... I couldn't be more impressed. Truly cannot fault this event in anyway... tee shirt could have been a touch nicer, but a very minor complaint in light of the amazing event that this was!!!! Thank you Chicago Marathon staff for a great introduction to marathon running!

This was my first introduction to any kind of distance racing and could have trained a little better. I really had a blast on this run. I high-fived my way around the course with a lot of great community support. This half / full marathon is up and coming and I think will get better with time. I would recommend it, but be prepared for some hills! I didn't train on much of a hilly terrain and made it through just fine. Lot's of fun and recommend!

The Cooper River is a fun race to do with friends and I think there's great novelty in running the Cooper Bridge, but logistically it feels as if there are too many people for such a confined space from issues of parking to the race itself. Add a delay to the start times and the vibe is quickly depleted! This is a fun run, but not for serious long distance runners.