Even this course is overall downhill and fast, there are a few climbs mixed in the course which encourage you to pace yourself. This was a well organized course and the aid stations were nice. There was one aid station that had a band in it. As I was running past, I started dancing/running and one of the band members ran alongside me for a bit while playing his instrument. The post-race party was also a fun time.

This is a nice, quiet race, but don't expect to have many spectators cheering you on. There are portions of the race during which you are running in the country and there are not many other signs of life besides the runners besides you. This is a point to point race, they bus you from the end to the beginning. It is otherwise well organized and I received a nice long sleeved tech shirt.

This was my first marathon and an awesome experience. You get to see many of the highlights of Chicago. Also, the aid stations are great, every person there really acts like they want to be there. There are spectators throughout the entire race cheering you on. A downside is that the race is very large and if you don't have a seeded position, you may be starting the race up to forty minutes after the actual start of the race. However, I don't think that should be a deterrent for someone who wants to run this race. Everyone should have the experience to run Chicago.