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Lakeshore Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Lakeshore Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 1.8 
Spectators 2.7
Number of comments: 209 [displaying comments 111 to 121]
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B. C. from Maryland
(6/6/2004)
"Needs major redirection to race organization " (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Lakeshore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I agree with all of the other comments. They represent areas that need to be corrected. However, there are additional failures that occurred later in the race. Many water stops ran out of water and/or cups, and were not replenished. One resorted to pouring the water into the runners. Other water stops, after running out of water, packed it up and went home. Volunteers from another water stop went out and bought water to restock. Another divided what was left into the jugs that were left and handed those out to the runners. One stretch of the course had 3 water stops within 50 feet of each other. The bicycles became a real menace on the course. They were going much too fast for the crowded conditions. I wore a GPS unit and at the finish line it read 25.4 miles, 8 tenths of a mile short. That's maybe a result of being shunted off the course and across a field by the park's personnel. Or, a result of arriving at several major street intersections with no police or monitors, only runners trying to figure out where to go and waiting for the light to change. The Lakeshore Marathon needs to place a major emphasis on race organization and deemphasize event promotion. The focus should be on the safety of the runners. They also need a helluva lot more volunteers. The ones that showed up, and the spectators who became volunteers, were outstanding and pulled that race through. | |
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A. H. from St. Paul. Minnesota
(6/5/2004)
"What a waste of possibly great race" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Lakeshore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 From packet pick-up to post-finish, this was the worst run event I have ever participated in. We have never been to Chicago before. If I had not chosen to stay at the Hyatt I would not have been able to tell how to even get to the start of the race. I just followed the masses from the hotel, which was basically what the volunteer said to do the previous evening. Seeded wave start with no direction of what group you should go out with. Didn't prove to be a problem once you were out on the course. We started maybe the fifth group. I would have regretted starting later. The first waterstop was way behind in pouring water, has to wait for them. There was no water at the first waterstop after the split from the half. The next stop was running out of cups, thanking me for reusing a cup after the quarter inch they poured in wasn't enough for me. That amount was repeated at later stops. One stop had no cups, water, or volunteers - just trash strewn everywhere. At another stop they were holding out the jugs. Not something I would want to drink out of. Mile markers appeared to be incorrect. The non-participants enjoying the lakeshore area were almost a factor. Had I been a step faster I would have been wiped out by an almost-crashing rollerblader. A bicyclist was ringing his bell furiously as were were running about three wide to pass a slower runner in the last few miles. I didn't see what happened to the bicyclist about a quarter mile from the finish doing his best Lance Armstrong imitation. The few dozen fans not cheering for their particular person were super, and they deserve 5-star rating. They were encouraging without saying the trite 'looking good'. I'm not a fast enough runner to be 'looking good'. A big thanks to the one obvious non-runner about 1/2 mile from the finish. If she can cheer that enthusiastically, I can run with whatever I got left. Thanks lady, you were a great help. The finish area: Three steps from the chute I'm being pushed at by someone trying to take a picture of someone finishing. There are large groups of non-runners milling about. Every other marathon I have been at you can finish, get your finishing awards, get rid of your chip and find beverage without being trampled and jostled by non-participants. POSITIVES: Great scenery, should always be a breeze to cool you off being near the lake. It is not a completely flat course, although nothing I remember as a hill. I think there was a little shade. Some cement portions. It could be a good place to try to run fast if your trying to PR or Boston qualify. Great training run for other events, however just like a training run, wear a GPS so you know how far/fast you are going and carry a little water. Maybe even your cell phone to call 911 in case you get into medical difficulty. | |
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M. B. from idaho
(6/5/2004)
"Don't sign up for this race!!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Lakeshore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I ran the half marathon at this race. It was a complete mess. There was no organization and we were actually sent on the wrong route! I emailed the race directors after the race and have yet to receive a response. If you look at the comments from 2003, this was not a new problem, yet nothing was done to fix it. | |
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S. R. from Chicago
(6/5/2004)
"NO WATER!!!" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Lakeshore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Online information says there is water every 1.5 miles, which was not true. I saw 4 abandoned water stations, volunteers holding out gallon jugs of water (no cups), and some of the lakefront fountains were not working. Most of the race was run without mile markers, as well. At the finish line, I did not know where to go to get food and water and none of the volunteers were directing anyone, so quite a few finishers were wandering around trying to find things on their own. | |
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M. I. from Niles, IL
(6/5/2004)
"Very disappointing" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Lakeshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I agree with the frustrations expressed by others. The course was very poorly marked. There was one point between the 13 and the 16 mile marker where the path split. There was no sign, no cones, and no volunteers at that spot. It was aggravating to have such spotty mileage marking. Also, the mileage markers weren't even placed accurately after mile 13. So, my data is useless. The aid stations ran out of supplies. I felt that the organization of the refreshments at the end was poor, too. Why wasn't there anybody filling the cups and setting them out on the table? Where was the water, why only Amino Vital? This was my second marathon. I ran Chicago LaSalle in October. I guess I expected comparable organization, since I did pay essentially the same fee. | |
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M. H. from St. Paul, Minnesota
(6/5/2004)
"NEVER AGAIN!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I agree with the other posters. This was the MOST POORLY ORGANIZED RACE I HAVE EVER RUN. I ran the 1/2 marathon and my husband ran the full marathon. My husband and I ran together until the course split for the 1/2 and the marathon (around mile 5 I think). However, his 10k time was 20 minutes faster than mine - what's up with that? What was up with the Scientologists? I was very offended that they were there - I consider them at worst a cult, at best a very questionable 'religion'. Unfortunately, the water stop run by the Scientologists was better organized than the rest of the race. I was very annoyed at the lack of porta-potties and the lack of mile markers during the second half of the half marathon. During the second half of my race I started to wonder if the course was measured correctly - guess I'm not the only one with doubts. The entry fees were far too high for what we got. Also, when my husband asked for directions to the start area from a volunteer at the expo the day before the race, he got a really snotty response. The expo was scary too - what was the deal with the crystals so we could balance our energy? Fortunately, we could follow the other runners the morning of the race but getting back to the hotel after the race was a challenge. I can't believe the race directors couldn't find more volunteers. How do you manage to not have an adequate water supply at a race like this? The race directors need to get a big clue about how to put on a race or this race needs to be put out of its misery. | |
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R. M. from USA
(6/4/2004)
"Dehydrated & unsure of where I was for many miles" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Lakeshore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I was trying to qualify for Boston. After mile 19, I never saw another mile marker. There were no H2O stations after mile 19 either. I started cramping badly. I chalk it up to not enough liquid stations, no mile markers and inexperience on my part. I missed my goal by three minutes. Also, 70 bucks... for what???? | |
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M. R. from Phoenix, AZ
(6/4/2004)
"Half-Marathon Fiasco!" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Lakeshore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Everything that has been said in previous posts is true (lack of bathrooms, unknowledgeable race staff, sending us half-marathoners to run 2-3 extra miles, which, by the way, cost me an age group top-3 placing). I made eye contact with the volunteer, and asked her if we were to go straight (what we should have done) or go to the right, and she pointed us to the right. Anyhow, after a dozen of us figured this out, we went back, but the volunteer changed, and she denied that any volunteer would ever send the runners the wrong way. I told her she flat out did. This other volunteer didn't seem to care at all. Anyhow, being from out of town, I was VERY disappointed. If it wasn't for the great scenery, and Chicago being the great city it is, this would go down as my least favorite running experience in my life. I may visit Chicago at some point in the future, but it certainly won't be for the Lakeshore Marathon. | |
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K. L. from Colorado
(6/3/2004)
"Great food, good venue" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Lakeshore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Despite the disorganization, there were some very positive things about this race. The organizers are promoting environmental causes - how many can claim that? The venue is great - the lakefront is beautiful, and McCormick Place can't be beat for hosting big events. Also, I've never seen a better spread of food after a race - everything from fresh fruit to beef and tofu jerky to homemade brownies and cookies. Plus, this race is much more affordable than the Chicago Marathon, and much more spectator-friendly. This race has great potential! | |
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M. R. from Pennsylvania
(6/3/2004)
"A few not-so-minor problems" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Lakeshore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The Lakeshore Marathon's course was absolutely beautiful and the most positive aspect of the marathon. The volunteers at the expo and the race itself were friendly but there just weren't enough of them. The course is pretty mellow -- no bands or colorful spectators, but the beauty of the lake and the parks well makes up for this. At some points, it was downright religious. That said, there were a few glitches that could have turned into serious problems for some people. At a 4-hour, 25-minute marathon, I am one of the slower runners. There was absolutely no sports drink at the water stops for us until the 1/2 marathon point. The slower runners are the people who really need the electrolytes. There was a lot of hoopla about Amino Vital sponsoring its first US marathon, but I would have been happier with plain old Gatorade given more frequently. At one stop, only one volunteer was available to pass out water. He did his best to keep up, but it was very hard for him. I was tempted to jump off the course to help him out. There was one stop w/o cups. Mile markers were taken down or blew down, and that made it very difficult for me to pace myself. With a $70 fee, the race should have been better staffed and better supplied. I have run a $35 race which was at least twice as organized. |
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