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☰
Chicago Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Chicago Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 4.9
Number of comments: 949 [displaying comments 321 to 331]
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G. B. from Roselle, IL
(10/13/2007)
"Spectators had more water than the course." (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I had run to the 18th mile mark when helicopters began to fly overhead. A police officer at the 30K-mark told us to stop running since the race had been canceled and everything was over. The timer was off. Several runners continued to run. At the 20 mile-mark we were told to walk to the finish line since the race was over. We were told again to stop running. We were not encouraged to continue and were encouraged to quit and go home. It was only by ignoring the police and continuing that runners were able to finish. During the race, water tables were turned upside-down at some stations and fluids were not available. If not for the kindness of the spectators who offered water, many more runners would have suffered heat injuries. | |
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L. J. from New Orleans, Louisiana
(10/13/2007)
"Poor management by officials" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 This was my 17th marathon and the 14th state that I have run - some in cold weather and some in hot, and even Boston in 2004. The race officials were not properly prepared for the hot weather; it didn't turn hot over night or by surprise to anyone. I trained in New Orleans during the summer months and did not consider the weather too hot to stop a race. Not having enough water or Gatorade was the reason. Look at the numbers: 45,000 allowed to run, and 35,000 started; if they ran out of water because runners were pouring water on themselves to cool off, what happened to the Gatorade? I don't think they were pouring Gatorade over their heads. The number of runners that didn't start the race was the size of a small race; what if most of the 45,000 did start the race in good weather conditions? They would have run out of water anyway. Race officials were not prepared. If given the opportunity to complete the full course, I would have. I spent lots of money to train and get to Chicago and will not get credit for this race or state. Also, for a 30th-year race celebration, the goody bags were skimpy and compared to past years. According to other runners who have run in the past, there was hardly anything in the bags compared to previous years. This was very disappointing to hear; I will never return to run in Chicago. Special thanks to all the spectators who came out to support the runners - they were 100% better that the race officials. | |
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j. r. from USA
(10/13/2007)
"The Perfect Storm for the Worst Case Scenario" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 Everyone knows 2007 was an aberration. Chicago is still a world-class marathon, and, yes, I will be back. There is enough blame to spread around - from race organizers who were ill-prepared for the day to the runners who selfishly took gallon jugs from aid stations. Ultimately, I agree with the decision to shut down the course. Runners could not be supported. The Chicago Marathon has simply gotten too big. For years there has been talk in the running community whether Chicago should set qualifying times like Boston or a lottery system like the NYC Marathon. They should use 2007 to implement a system to reduce the field. | |
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Alejandra Osuna from Mexico
(10/13/2007)
"It was a dream but it became a nightmare" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 My husband and I trained for more than 5 months for this marathon. We're from Mexico and the comments of the other runners motivated us to do "one of the best marathons" in the United States - definitely a complete deception. When I arrived at the water and Gatorade stations, there wasn't any - I had to stop at a gas stop and buy some. Thanks to all the people who gave us bottles of water. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Without them, more people would have gone to the hospital. The saddest thing is that the organizers did not accept how poorly prepared they were for the weather. Canceling the race was one solution but not the best one; they could have taken others. Thank you, people of Chicago. | |
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D. B. from Chicago, IL
(10/12/2007)
"under the circumstances, a great race" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 It is nice to see all the people who will not be running this marathon next year - more room for us! Please, get real, if you were in the pack that got no water, why were you in a marathon to start with?! This was my first, and I had a target of 4:30, but was smart enough to realize early on that this was not going to happen, and settled back to enjoy the spectators and especially the volunteers, and finished in 5:15. Very happy about that. To those of you who are complaining about all the training time you put in blah, blah blah, what about personal accountability?! You read the weather reports too.... Bring your own water and GU packs and take care of yourselves. Have fun somewhere else next year, and those of us who understand Chicago weather and can appreciate what a monumental task it was to deal with 45K runners will be back to run Chicago again! | |
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p. r. from Mexico
(10/12/2007)
"should have changed it for noon" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I live in Mexico City and we trained in the mountains thinking the marathon would be cold like last year. I think that organizers had to change the hour of the marathon when they knew it would be very hot. If it had begun in the afternoon I think the marathon would have been better. | |
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David Leech from Brooklyn, NY
(10/12/2007)
"Five days later and they still cannot get it right" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 Carey Pinkowski has put on 16 great Chicago Marathons, but this one was a complete joke. I'm sorry, but you have to resign. - They should have communicated their contingency plan to shut the race before the even, but instead, had thousands of angry athletes who were stopped at Mile 16 - Even five days afterwards, no acceptance that they did anything wrong - The mayor's office even comes out with rubbish about how the city showed character and the response only improves their bid for the Olympics. A wonderful response would have been: - LaSalle refunding the entry fees. Nope, not a chance. - Cary at least admitting they made mistakes with the water distribution. Nope, not a chance. - Mayor Daley at least admitting that the city didn't supply enough ambulances. Nope, not a chance. Instead they assume that we will forget by next year, and come back. I hope that instead, the Chicago Marathon has lost a lot more customer loyalty here than a refund would have cost them. | |
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d. s. from Overland Park, KS
(10/12/2007)
"Brutal day, but I finished" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I feel proud of the fact that I was a survivor of the 2007 Chicago Marathon. I had hoped for a P.R., but realized days before the race that it was not going to happen if the predicted temperatures prevailed. All I wanted to do was finish and stay healthy. I have heard the stories about no water/Gatorade being available. That was not the case for me. There was always plenty of both at every aid station. I admit that I was drinking more than I normally would have, and I was dumping water on my head to keep cool. But so was most everyone else. I feel this is entirely reasonable and should have been expected by the race organizers. I feel sorry for the slower runners who ended up without water and offer my condolences. But I still think it was up to the race organizers to supply adequate water supplies for all runners, not just the faster ones. I was probably about 22 miles into the race when I heard the announcements that the course had been closed. I was very frustrated. I had spent my money to register and travel to Chicago, trained all summer, sweated my @ss off for 4 hours in the race, and was then being told I was not going to get credit for finishing the race. I was somewhat relieved when I did receive a finish time. I don't care that much about where I placed. I just wanted credit for having finished. It is unfortunate that the weather turned out as it did. I will probably do Chicago again sometime. For now, I am looking at the Tulsa/Route 66 next month so I can still shoot for a P.R. and qualify for Boston this year. | |
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Connie Boudreaux from Bradenton, Florida
(10/12/2007)
"No one's fault" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There is no one to blame for the weather. I thought the marathon was extremely well organized. There was plenty of water and Gatorade. Some people took too much and did not leave any for others. Runners should carry food and fluids of their own. I did and I finished. The decision to cancel the race was the right call and I applaud the director for making a tough, yet brave decision. | |
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Larry Williams from Charlotte, NC
(10/12/2007)
"Awesome experience!!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I was expecting it to be crowded, but hey... it is after all one of the 5 "World Marathons"! That's why I was pleasantly surprised to find that the crowd was nowhere nearly as bad as I was anticipating. I started at the front of the open corral with the 8-minute pace group, and reached the start line 8 minutes after the gun. Even though I had occasionally to maneuver around other runners, I was able to maintain my usual 9-minute pace until the later miles when exhaustion started to set in. I did not experience any shortage of water at aid stations, and was not even aware that the race had been stopped until after I had finished. Lucky for me I was use to training in hot and humid conditions and crossed the finish line in 4:17. The crowd support was amazing, covering the entire course. I would definitely recommend the race to others. Thanks, Chicago! |
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