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J. C. from LaGrange, Illinois
(10/22/2006)
"Great Race" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race is fantastic, and runs like a Swiss timepiece. Flat, fast, well organized, and lots of fans (even at 40 degrees). | |
D. H. from Genva, Illinois
(10/22/2006)
"Everything you would want in a marathon." (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Despite the brisk wind and chilly temps, the experience lived up to billing. | |
N. C. from Chicago, IL
(10/19/2006)
"My hometown race" (General Comments)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What can I say? This will be my 4th Chicago Marathon and have run in San Diego and San Francisco. Nothing compares. Chicago has first-class organization, management, crowds and course. You can PR or you can just put it in cruise control and let the crowd carry you to the finish. This is a must-run race for all marathoners. | |
S. M. from Pensacola, FL
(10/13/2006)
"Sweet home Chicago" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the best marathon I have run. It is very flat and easy to PR. The spectators are great and Chicago is a fabulous city! | |
L. M. from VA Beach, VA
(9/21/2006)
"WOW! WOW! WOW!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Do not miss this one! The best I've run so far. Flat, fast course, fantastic expo, and great spectators - the entire town gets into this marathon! Sign in a resturaunt: "Our establishment will be non-smoking this weekend due to the large number of runners in town for the marathon." How cool is that?! Definitely running again in 2006. | |
chicago runner from chicago
(9/19/2006)
"Excellent, but be prepared" (General Comments)
3 previous marathons
| 3 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I give it five stars all around. Some tips for the 1st-timer: crowded course, so be ready to relax and go with the flow; don't weave; use a pace group - they are free - but don't expect to run right with the leader in this crowd; bring your own bottle if you don't like crowded water tables - you can lose your pace group here too; line up for the port-o-potty no later than 7 a.m. if you want to get to your corral and pace group; use the gear check; and have fun! | |
M. D. from Downers Grove, IL
(8/14/2006)
"Awesome!!!" (General Comments)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have now run four and will be running my 5th this Oct. in Chicago. The fan support is just fantastic and what a great city for running. | |
m. k. from jupiter, florida
(7/26/2006)
"This marathon was an absolute ball!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What an awesome experience it was to run this as my first marathon - the crowd was excellent, the city is phenomenal and the course was stimulating! | |
Jeffrey Hutton from Rogers, AR
(6/26/2006)
"an awesome experience..." (about: 2000)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Ran Chicago in 2000... finished in 6:21. It was probably my last marathon since I had bypass surgery in 2003. It was an amazing experience. I'll never forget it. | |
A. G. from Grand Rapids, MI
(6/19/2006)
"Chicago rocks!" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Before I ran the marathon, my favorite city I had been to before was probably Chicago. Now, of the three marathons I've ran as of June 2006, Chicago probably was my favorite of the three. GREAT course, only a very occasional mild incline, the fans were very much into it, I could go on and on. The expo was great, exceeding my expectations. It was 2004, and I got my picture taken with Meb Keflizighi (spelling?) at the expo! How cool is that?! He also autographed my T-shirt. Probably the only flaw was the lack of toilets. I only needed one toilet break around Mile 23, but I did notice a lot of people (mostly guys) sneaking behind a wall or tree to use the bathroom. I personally had no trouble with the bathroom my one stop, but more toilets would have been nice. But the lack of toilets could not detract from an incredible marathon. If I ever complete the 50 States (and maybe even a few internationals), I'll hopefully be back eventually! If you're a marathon runner and have not run this marathon, you don't know what you have been missing out on. |
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