Chicago was my first marathon and it will always have a special place in my heart because it is so well run. The organization of the expo and the race was flawless. I was never left wondering what to do, where something was so I could focus 100% on the race.

As you'd expect from the big races it was crowded to start but I was running with the 4:00 pace group and we were extremely consistent every mile. Note, there are a LOT of pacers for each group so make sure you continue to follow the same 2/3 (they group together) because there were 4:00 pacers that started in front of me and behind me, but my 2 pacers kept great communication with each other to keep the group at the right clip.

It's also great that they pair up in case one person has a bad day, or use the bathroom (one of ours did!) you can keep following one of them while the other person does their business.

Aid stations were plentiful, crowds were great. My only one beef with the t-shirts is that the XS were a completely diff color and cut/style than all the other shirts so my ended up being boxier and I never wear it. I keep it because it's my first marathon but sad I can't wear it much.

I would always reco Chicago to anyone interested. The management, course, crowds, and aid stations can't be beat!

This was my first race ever! Well executed but the basic out and back on LSD leaves a bit to be desired. Race was well executed though.

My biggest pet peeve is not having gender specific shirts! Nice quality but ended up giving mine to my husband.