This was a great way to gather all of the business professionals in Chicago and run together for a great cause! It was fun to see all of the companies' tent setups, creative t-shirts and team bonding. The race itself was not very scenic, which was disappointing, considering we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the US. The course was not marked very well, the aid stations were limited, and running on Lower Wacker wasn't too inspiring. The 3.5 mile course was also an odd distance... With all of that said, I would definitely run it again in the future given the great opportunity for team building and networking.

This was my first time running the Chicago Full Marathon and it was an incredible experience. Since the race was scheduled to be in early October, I knew there was a chance it would be very cold, considering the unreliable Chicago weather patterns. With that said, it ended up being 65 degrees and sunny. The course was great- it took the runners through a great tour of Chicago- starting downtown near Grant Park, up through River North, Old Town, Lincoln Park, up through the heart of Boystown and back towards Michigan Ave. for the FINISH. There were aid stations everywhere, along with restrooms. This is definitely a race to run if you are shooting for a PR as the elevation is primarily flat. Best race in Chicago, in my opinion!

This was my first marathon AND my first time in Walt Disney World. Due to the extreme heat in Orlando (even in January), the race began at 5am...so that meant we had to board the shuttles at our hotel at 3:45am. So go to bed early the night before!! The race course was pretty fun...it takes you through all the parks, which was entertaining and distracting. Mile 6 was through Cinderella's Castle (at sunrise), which was fun. However there were several long stretches along the highway which wasn't great... This race is definitely a fun run as people jump out of the race along the way to pose for pictures with the Disney Characters. Runners also tend to dress up in Disney gear for the race itself. By the time the race ended it was about 90 degrees, so the key to this race was definitely HYDRATION. I would not recommend running this race for a PR. And if you are feeling courageous, run the Half Marathon the day before and become a "Goofy Challenge" award winner.