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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 581 to 591]
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j. r. from Hinsdale, IL
(6/13/2006)
"a great race but a severe lack of toilets" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Chicago is great. The course is a PR course and the spectators are the loudest anywhere. The aid stations are top-notch. The one negative and the reason I couldn't give the organization 5 stars is the severe lack of toilets at the start and on the course. Be prepared for a lot of public urination. Under bridges, into bottles, on the side of the road, in the starting corrals, everywhere. I should not be so negative here because with 40,000 people it is probably impossible to provide the number of toilets needed. On the course the spectators probably use them but what a runner running the Chicago Marathon shouldn't see is a line at the port-a-pots at the 6 mile mark in Lincoln Park. A runner is trying to get to the finish line as fast as possible and a line at the port-a-pots prevents this from happening. | |
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j. r. from Hinsdale, IL
(6/13/2006)
"a great race but a severe lack of toilets" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Chicago is great. The course is a PR course and the spectators are the loudest anywhere. The aid stations are top-notch. The one negative and the reason I couldn't give the organization 5 stars is the severe lack of toilets at the start and on the course. Be prepared for a lot of public urination. Under bridges, into bottles, on the side of the road, in the starting corrals, everywhere. I should not be so negative here because with 40,000 people it is probably impossible to provide the number of toilets needed. On the course the spectators probably use them but what a runner running the Chicago Marathon shouldn't see is a line at the port-a-pots at the 6 mile mark in Lincoln Park. A runner is trying to get to the finish line as fast as possible and a line at the port-a-pots prevents this from happening. | |
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R. G. from Michigan
(5/27/2006)
"Ever have a million people cheer for you?" (about: 2001)
3 previous marathons
| 3 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon might be getting too crowded for those looking to PR. Last time I ran it, there were 33,000 finishers and I lost about 5-10 minutes in the first three miles. I would imagine it will be more with 40,000 runners. Regardless, this is a must-run marathon. There's nothing in the world like going for a run and having a million people yelling their lungs out for you. I've run this at 3:30 pace and I've also paced somebody at a slow pace, and the crowds were just as loud every single time. They'll single you out and cheer for you if you wear a shirt with your name on it. Even if you're not, they'll call out your bib number and yell, "Good job!," so don't forget what your bib number is!!! The 40K runner cap closed by May this year, so register early! | |
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L. E. from Chicago, Illinois
(5/25/2006)
"This is What It's All About" (about: 2002)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you want to run a race, you can sign up any weekend anywhere in the country and probably have a good time. If you want to run a marathon, come to Chicago. The course is fast and flat, which everyone knows. The best part of the course I found as a local runner is that I got to run through areas I've never ventured as a resident, either because I didn't know they existed, or because the headlines in the news might have warned me not to. In a large city like Chicago where neighborhoods sometimes clash and violence can erupt, it's great to see everyone get together, and get along, for a fun day. Plus, there's beer at the end - what's not to like? Oh, the organization is fantastic. Plenty of hotels, but they book early I hear. Lots of charities. | |
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j. b. from st. louis, MO
(5/7/2006)
"amazing experience" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I chose this race as my first marathon experience. Trained for 3 months... researched anything marathon related online to ensure I was prepared. I wanted to finish under 5 hours... had my race plan in place. This was the most amazing experience... the exhilarating feeling of participating, the crowd, the camaraderie, the crowd, the support from the race volunteers, the crowd, the beautiful flat course, and did I mention the crowd. I relished every sense during this race: The bands playing "Eye of the Tiger," children cheering you on wanting to "high five," thank you "vaseline sign guy"... this crowd truly knows the spirit and months of training these runners experience for this moment of 26.2. I would recommend this race to anyone thinking of running a marathon. I have high expectations for any other marathon I will participate in future due to Chicago. I finished under my goal and felt great for the entire race. The nutritional support was very adequate. All aspects of race very organized. I would recommend not wasting time signing up for pace group, as you lose them quickly at the start of the race... use an arm band for your splits. This race is a definite must for any marathoner, or future marathoner. | |
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R. C. from Huntington Woods MI
(5/3/2006)
"Unbelievable" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Unbelievable - how far 26.2 miles really is - and the fact that I made it the whole way!! The energy of the race is unbelievable - thanks to the awesome city, the enormous number of runners and the terrific cheering crowd!!! I can't believe I did it - and now I'm pumped to run another!! | |
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K. T. from Allen Park, Mi
(4/19/2006)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and it was fantastic. Yes it has a lot of people running, but they added to the excitement along with the people along the way that cheered us on. One of the best expos I have seen. I think Chicago will be a yearly event for me. | |
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L. C. from Ohio
(4/13/2006)
"A GREAT time and a MUST-do!" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Chicago Marathon is a great experience! The 26.2 Curb Crew and the rest of the fan support is unbelieveable! When you run this marathon, you never feel as though you are on your own. All of the stations are set up in an organized fashion. Most marathon runners know that if they are planning on running through the stations, that they are supposed to take the water at the end! The volunteers are AWESOME too! The course is flat and fast. Both years that I have run the marathon here, there has been plenty of room for all runners at different paces. Along the course there are bands and cheerleaders from local organizations. My advice would be to wear something bright and flashy if you have spectators looking for you! This is a great race and I would recommend it to runners of all ability levels. HAVE FUN! IT'S A GREAT RIDE! | |
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T. C. from Brighton, MI
(3/15/2006)
"Great race, but very crowded" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I honestly wish I would have picked a smaller one for my first, but the problem was not the race - it was me. I knew there would be 30,000+ other runners, but I didn't fully appreciate how much the crowd would affect me. I typically run an 8.5 min/mile pace and that just wasn't possible for me without a preferred start. I should have finished mile 2 in 17 minutes but my Forerunner read something in the low 20's. So I had to run about 20 minutes more than I anticipated. I also made the mistake of passing often which completely threw my pace off and caused me to run more than 26.2 miles. The aid stations were big enough to accommodate everyone, but because there were tables on both sides of the road and the crowd was so thick in some of them the only way through was single-file through the middle (usually walking). I would tell anyone running it to take water at the later tables to avoid getting into the crowd and favor the left side. I recommend running it but I would definitely not make it your first so that you can get a preferred start where the crowds are thinner and closer to your pace. Again, my fault for not doing the research. Having said all that, it really was a great race. The crowds were a big help. They were typically 3 or 4 people deep on both sides most of the way. Very encouraging. I got chills several time toward the end when people singled me out to cheer me on. The most interesting thing about the mass of runners was that you get to see a lot of people hitting the wall around mile 20. I saw people sprawled out on the road, limping along with ice packs strapped to their legs, people on the sidelines stretching - I even saw one guy talking to himself and my wife saw a guy crawling near the finish line. With that many runners, you're going to see a lot of unique reactions to the wall. The best part about the course is that it's completely flat except for Mt. Roosevelt at mile 26. But it's not really that sharp of an incline and at the top you turn left and you're looking at the finish line. The organization was great. Lots and lots of volunteers to take care of the runners and lots of sideline entertainers. My only concern about the organization would be that there could have been more porta-johns. It wasn't a problem for me, but where there were porta-johns, there were long lines. Overall, a great race. | |
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D. E. from Nashville, TN
(3/14/2006)
"Need More Porta-johns" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race is fantastic!! If you love "mega-marathons," this is a must-do! One and only issue: Not enough porta-johns in the first 10 miles. Men were "going" everywhere and women were standing in long, long lines. If the organizers read this, then here is my solution: Place several "trough"-style urinal porta-johns for men to shorten lines for women and add porta-johns all along the course for the first 10 miles. If you've never run a "mega-marathon" before, then be prepared to run an erratic pace through the crowds. |
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