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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 491 to 501]
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chi-town runner from Chicago USA
(1/15/2007)
"too big" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 3 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Chicago increased to 45,000 in 2007. That's too big and not worth the trouble. Also, a greatly increased entry fee. They had 5,000 more people and how many more spectators for all of those casual walkers and runners and wanna-be's who waddle and crowd the course. It has become a money-making spectacle and not a race. | |
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j. r. from Brooklyn
(1/5/2007)
"Many spectators, depite the cold temperature" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran in 2006 and I'll enter again in 2007. The flat course and the noisy spectators made this the best marathon I have ever been at. I started in the green corral so I don't know about congestion problems that must have been a part of starting in the back. I liked the bands that were on the course. The Queensmen at mile 22 were especially welcome at that point. When my energy level was down, their energy was up, and this helped even though I could only hear "Pretty Woman" for a couple of seconds as I passed by. They must have played for hours on end. I appreciated their effort. | |
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M. S. from St. Louis
(1/3/2007)
"worth the price but needs more portable toilets" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Chicago is the top race in America. This is without a doubt. The loop course makes running Chicago a pleasure that Boston and NY cannot match. The crowds and excitement throughout the first 14 miles are as great as at any other marathon. The crowds thin out over the 2nd half of the race so Boston and NY might win out in that area. I was disappointed to see the price increase in 2007 to $110. My first Chicago race was $50 at the 1999 race. Even with the $110 fee, Chicago is still worth it and I will enter again. The only minus is the severe lack of portable toilets both at the start and throughout the course. This should not be, especially with the $20-per-runner increase in 2007. | |
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M. R. from Orlando, Florida
(11/23/2006)
"CHICAGO should be PROUD of this RACE" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Chicago is the BEST. I was told to run the Chicago Marathon at my local YMCA and that I would enjoy it. They were wrong - I LOVED the whole weekend. THANK YOU, La Salle Bank and the City of Chicago!!!!!! PROS: 1. The registration - FLAWLESS. 2. Communication - email and package sent to home. PERFECT. 3. The expo - overwhelming, with information and running gear... so much I could not see it all. 4. The start - ORGANIZED and very EFFICIENT. The other runners were extremely polite and it was a pleasure waiting for the start of the race. Our hotel was 10 minutes away. To everyone: STAY IN DOWNTOWN; you will appreciate the short walk back to the hotel after the race. 5. The fans - AWESOME. I can still hear and feel the cheering and excitement of the start and the first seven miles of solid fans a month after the race, and I still smile and get goosebumps when I think of the people of Chicago. 6. The music - a GREAT mixture of bands from jazz, blues, Mexican, Chinese, rock - it was all there. 7. The signs - made running the race a PLEASURE. I looked forward to what I would see next. Thank you to the man who held up Ephesians 4:12 sign - it kept me going for miles 18 - 22. 8. The ethnic communities - all were WONDERFUL with their own sounds, smells and diversity. 9. The volunteers - it was cold but the runner could stay warm moving. THANK YOU for staying at your stations taking care of us. You are the BEST. 10. The course - FLAT and FAST. CONS: Absolutely none. RECOMMENDATION - Run the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. You will not regret the experience. | |
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Chris King from San Francisco, CA
(11/22/2006)
"Cold, Fast, and Spectacular!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 4-5 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 4th Chicago Marathon and despite the chilly start, this was definitely the best. Even on a day when the temperature never got above 45, the huge crowds came out to cheer on 45,000 complete strangers. At points on the course the enthusiasm was so loud that you couldn't even hear yourself think! The course has been basically the same for every edition I've run, and familiarity definitely helps get through the toughest miles, 15-22, because these are also some of the most boring parts of the course. Yes, the t-shirt was lame, but this is Chicago and the race, the huge support from the community and the records set here are the real stars. One reviewer complained about the water stops. If you haven't figured out how to drink on the run, have a friend teach you or carry your own water - it's not the race organizer's problem. Great transportation in and around Chicago make it very easy to get around, though reservations for lodging and food should be made as early as possible (get a room reserved in March - seriously!). | |
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Andrew Bell from Toronto
(11/21/2006)
"Better than Boston!!!!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Chicago 2006 was my 7th marathon (including Boston), my fastest marathon and by far the best organized. One of the attractions to Boston is that you have to qualify. If you need motivation to improve Chicago has this too with the preferred and competetive start corals. Lots of porta-potties, easy in-and-out bag-check. Awesome crowd support; I had my name and a maple leaf on my shirt, and so many people called and/or chanted my name people around me commented that I must be a celebrity. Start and finish at the same place, and no bussing and waiting around. Great city and friendly people. My hotel is booked for 2008. Downside: not impressed with the cotton shirt or its color!! I would sooner pay a little more and get a technical shirt that I can run in. Great job guys!!! | |
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k. m. from chicago
(11/13/2006)
"A must for first-time marathoners!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Even in the cold and rainy weather, people were out there cheering! I've heard how great the spectators are in Chicago, and they surpassed my expectations. I didn't train as hard as everyone else. I have a little baby that I ran for and hope to inspire some day - my only goal was to come under the 6 1/2 hour limit. But I ran with the New Balance 5:45 pace group - absolutely great bunch of folks! And I did it! Came in under 5:44. One of the best days of my life! | |
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J. C. from Anchorage, Alaska
(11/11/2006)
"Delightful race; made me feel very happy to run it" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was in the slower corral and it only took four minutes to get to the start line. Started running immediately. Crowds of spectators the entire route for us slower people - the family groups come out for their family "hero" in this city. The fluid stations were excellent and they did clean up the cups as best they could. Just run down the middle of the road through the stations and you should have no problem. Watch the metal strips in the road for the first 1/2 mile. They were slippery. This was such a great experience that at the finish I felt as though I wanted to immediately do it again. | |
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D. A. from Virginia
(11/10/2006)
"My kind of town/Chicago is!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you like to run in the cold, which I do, and you appreciate impeccable organization and welcoming spectators in a lively town, this is the marathon for you. Every negative experience I had when I first visited Chicago 25 years ago dissipated when I came to town to run what became my second best time and my first negative split; I was part of a team, put together by a group of friends, one of whom set a PR. Everything about the event worked flawlessly: from the ease of shuttling to the expo, to signing in and retrieving my goodie bag at the expo (there were NO lines), to the number of quality expo vendors, to the never-empty water stops, to the enthusiastic crowds (my favorite were the elderly folks from a retirement community standing outside and cheering and watching or standing inside waving and blowing kisses from the windows), and finally to the orderly finish with medal, food/water, and victory picture all at hand. Every race volunteer was helpful and knowledgeable (which I can't say for the security guards/police). As with anything, there is room for improvement: 1) Put heaters inside the Team Tent; 2) Provide hot tea as well as coffee in the Team Tent; 3) Provide better instructions/signs for getting from the finish to the Team Tent. Thanks for a good time, and for taking the time to make it better. | |
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C. L. from Atlanta Ga.
(11/9/2006)
"Race was good but T-shirt was CHEAP!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I liked this race and plan on doing it again next year. But the problem I have with this marathon was not the number of people or the course or anything else - it's the CHEAP T-shirt (50-cent iron-on decal). I paid the same fee to enter Boston last year and received so much more, plus the shirt was great. Unless you finish in the top 10, it's all the same. In mega-marathons such as this one, you at least expect a good shirt. I run the Mercedes Marathon each year and they give you two shirts, one for entering the race and another one for finishing (a technical shirt at that). |
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