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Marathon Details - Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > IL > Geneva > Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon

Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon

Geneva, IL USA

April 12, 2025

http://www.bq2races.com

Marathon Results

By Year:

2024 2023 2022 2021 2019 2018 2017 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

The #1 Boston Qualifiers in the USA the last 6 years. This is a course specifically designed to get you to Boston.

A 4.8 mile loop 1 and then 7-3.05 mile loop course offers plenty of shade, scenic views of parks and forest preserves bordering the river, and a glimpse of downtown Batavia.

The paved trail along both sides of the Fox Valley River is near net pancake flat.

The path, river proximity, dawn starting time, and average lows in the mid 50's make for a high probability of ideal racing conditions.

And the 8 loop course means 16 Aid Stations, 8 shots at the Elite Water Bottle table (yes, you are treated like an elite runner in this one), and plenty of opportunities for race-provided gel, oranges, and of course, your own cheering section.

Contact Information

Name:	Craig Bixler
Address:	PO Box 3955 St. Charles IL 60174
Phone Number:	630-549-3070
Email:	Email the organizers
Online Registration:	Click Here to Register Online Today!

More Information


Number of Runners:	300
Number of Spectators:	600
Fees & Deadlines:	$140 thru 12/31 $145 thru 1/31 $150 thru 2/28 $155 thru close
Start Time:	6:30 AM
Course Highlights:	Flat shady course The course runs along one of the easiest loops of the Fox River Trail.
Course Refreshments:	16 aid stations in the combined loops, including an elite water bottle station plus post race food for all finishers
Certified? Certification:	Yes, IL20007NM
Race Day Registration:	Race day registration if not full
Online Registration:	https://secure.marathonguide.com/register/springchancebq
Packet Pickup Info:	Friday at local running store, plus Saturday race morning
Marathon Ratings:	Course Scenery/Beauty/Interest: Good for First Timers: Crowd Support: Course Speed:

Runner Reviews (90)

Course 4.6

Organization 4.8

Spectators 4.5

Write a review

Number of comments: 90 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]

A. C. from Naperville, Illinois (4/24/2024) "Best Race EVER!!!" (about: 2024) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organization of this race is top tier! I couldn't even come up with questions to ask because everything was laid out so well! The race directors did such an amazing job making this marathon experience TOP TIER! Awesome course, volunteers were so helpful, and pre race run/setup was such a neat bonus!
James King from Illinois (4/20/2024) "Excellent organization, pacing & support!" (about: 2024) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The crew really does everything to help you get your BQ. I can't thank the pacers enough! I thought I might not like the race being a 3-mile loop, but it meant there were always people and support around which really helped.
A. C. from Naperville, Illinois (4/20/2024) "Best Race EVER!!!" (about: 2024) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organization of this race is top tier! I couldn't even come up with questions to ask because everything was laid out so well! The race directors did such an amazing job making this marathon experience TOP TIER! Awesome course, volunteers were so helpful, and pre race run/setup was such a neat bonus!
Christopher Braun from Saint Louis, Missouri (5/10/2023) "This is the BQ You're Looking For!" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my dream race. Although the temperatures climbed a bit higher than I would have liked for the Spring 2023 edition, I'm more of a warmer weather runner anyway and the mid 60's start made it easy to get up to speed right away. With a mostly flat, looped course, and an elite style water bottle table, I couldn't have asked for a better setup. The pacers were amazing, the spectators were supportive, and the logistics made everything stress free! This is a race I'd gladly run every year!
Subrahmanyam (Subbu) Kalinathabotla from St. Louis, Missouri (4/18/2023) "Great race and course, and EXTREMELY well organizd" (about: 2023) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first attempt to BQ for 2024 and I ran this race a couple of days ago (on 4/15/2023). Unfortunately I did not qualify because of the weather (64 at start and 72 at finish). I wish it were 15 degs cooler. BUT, this is an amazing race. The course is flat. There is great course support - 2 aid stations, 1 elite bottle station, and an energy gel station. Volunteers and course organizers did an amazing job. I might sign-up again. I highly recommend this race.
B. S. from United States (9/25/2022) "Great course, bad photographers" (about: 2022) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Great course, pretty well organized. They should have definitely gotten more porta potties since the line was very long at all times. Staff were very nice, but the photographer missed my finishing photo. You had one job buddy...
R. G. from Mexico (9/17/2022) "Great organization" (about: 2022) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Everything is set to help you get your BQ, but you need to be well trained and focused. Not everyone who enters reach their goal.
Stephanie Leone from NORTH CAROLINA (5/7/2022) "The Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon is a great race!" (about: 2022) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon was an awesome experience. This was only my 2nd marathon and the first race I've been able to run in 2 years, due to a series of injuries. The most recent one was a pubic ramus stress fracture and it took 8 months to heal. Just to be able to toe the line was an accomplishment in itself for me and I was very excited to be able to do this in Geneva. The course is mostly flat and entailed a 2 small loop spur but then 8 loops around for the large loop. I enjoyed running the bridges and through the wooded area on the backside of the course. It reminded me of my training on the ATT in North Carolina. The race director was very informative and answered any questions I had. He and the staff/volunteers really orchestrated a top-notch event and everything flowed very smoothly the day of the race! Also, the weather was very unpredictable leading up to the race and the high that day ended up being in the 80's!! It got very warm as the morning went on but there were so many volunteers to make sure runners were staying hydrated and fueled! I was happy to finish 1st female overall, even with the weather conditions and challenges we all had to overcome. I'm grateful to all the staff and volunteers for making this such an amazing experience. Thank you all sooo much!
D. H. from NC (5/6/2022) "Trying to BQ? This is for you." (about: 2022) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First time running this race and I didn't know what to expect. 8 laps around a park sounded...unexciting. The weather was not helpful (warmer than average/usual). But the experience at packet pickup was wonderful: it felt like a hometown 5K instead of a huge expo to navigate. And the water bottle table was a game changer. (Pro tip: freeze your later lap water bottles to pour over yourself if it's hot out. The race provides plenty of hydration.) And the race was wonderful: the crowd was perfect and just where we needed them, lots of EMT presence just in case, the course was perfect with few twists and turns and by lap 2, we knew where they were. And the course was lovely. But most importantly, race organization was perfection: great info, super helpful staff, and the pacers were amazing. Can't recommend the race enough. I finished with a 9 min BQ cushion and would be happy to run this again.
Y. C. from New York (5/5/2022) "A well organize race with great course" (about: 2022) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It was a great race, even though the weather ended up being not ideal. Craig, the race director, was very helpful with my many emails prior to the race. I really enjoyed having an elite style personal fueling table and also enjoyed the course very much (actually really liked that it was 8 loops - helped me know what to expect). The tee shirt material wasn't great but ultimately, I ran 3 minutes below my BQ time so that's the most important thing. What I didn't like was the company that was in charge of chip timing. It missed 1 or 2 of my laps and initially showed that I didn't finish the race! When I contacted the company, they were able to fix it quickly and show that I did finish the race, but my splits were totally messed up and they weren't able to fix it. Also, the email responses were short & rude.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]



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A. C. from Naperville, Illinois (4/24/2024) "Best Race EVER!!!" (about: 2024) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organization of this race is top tier! I couldn't even come up with questions to ask because everything was laid out so well! The race directors did such an amazing job making this marathon experience TOP TIER! Awesome course, volunteers were so helpful, and pre race run/setup was such a neat bonus!
James King from Illinois (4/20/2024) "Excellent organization, pacing & support!" (about: 2024) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The crew really does everything to help you get your BQ. I can't thank the pacers enough! I thought I might not like the race being a 3-mile loop, but it meant there were always people and support around which really helped.
A. C. from Naperville, Illinois (4/20/2024) "Best Race EVER!!!" (about: 2024) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organization of this race is top tier! I couldn't even come up with questions to ask because everything was laid out so well! The race directors did such an amazing job making this marathon experience TOP TIER! Awesome course, volunteers were so helpful, and pre race run/setup was such a neat bonus!
Christopher Braun from Saint Louis, Missouri (5/10/2023) "This is the BQ You're Looking For!" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my dream race. Although the temperatures climbed a bit higher than I would have liked for the Spring 2023 edition, I'm more of a warmer weather runner anyway and the mid 60's start made it easy to get up to speed right away. With a mostly flat, looped course, and an elite style water bottle table, I couldn't have asked for a better setup. The pacers were amazing, the spectators were supportive, and the logistics made everything stress free! This is a race I'd gladly run every year!
Subrahmanyam (Subbu) Kalinathabotla from St. Louis, Missouri (4/18/2023) "Great race and course, and EXTREMELY well organizd" (about: 2023) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first attempt to BQ for 2024 and I ran this race a couple of days ago (on 4/15/2023). Unfortunately I did not qualify because of the weather (64 at start and 72 at finish). I wish it were 15 degs cooler. BUT, this is an amazing race. The course is flat. There is great course support - 2 aid stations, 1 elite bottle station, and an energy gel station. Volunteers and course organizers did an amazing job. I might sign-up again. I highly recommend this race.
B. S. from United States (9/25/2022) "Great course, bad photographers" (about: 2022) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Great course, pretty well organized. They should have definitely gotten more porta potties since the line was very long at all times. Staff were very nice, but the photographer missed my finishing photo. You had one job buddy...
R. G. from Mexico (9/17/2022) "Great organization" (about: 2022) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Everything is set to help you get your BQ, but you need to be well trained and focused. Not everyone who enters reach their goal.
Stephanie Leone from NORTH CAROLINA (5/7/2022) "The Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon is a great race!" (about: 2022) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon was an awesome experience. This was only my 2nd marathon and the first race I've been able to run in 2 years, due to a series of injuries. The most recent one was a pubic ramus stress fracture and it took 8 months to heal. Just to be able to toe the line was an accomplishment in itself for me and I was very excited to be able to do this in Geneva. The course is mostly flat and entailed a 2 small loop spur but then 8 loops around for the large loop. I enjoyed running the bridges and through the wooded area on the backside of the course. It reminded me of my training on the ATT in North Carolina. The race director was very informative and answered any questions I had. He and the staff/volunteers really orchestrated a top-notch event and everything flowed very smoothly the day of the race! Also, the weather was very unpredictable leading up to the race and the high that day ended up being in the 80's!! It got very warm as the morning went on but there were so many volunteers to make sure runners were staying hydrated and fueled! I was happy to finish 1st female overall, even with the weather conditions and challenges we all had to overcome. I'm grateful to all the staff and volunteers for making this such an amazing experience. Thank you all sooo much!
D. H. from NC (5/6/2022) "Trying to BQ? This is for you." (about: 2022) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First time running this race and I didn't know what to expect. 8 laps around a park sounded...unexciting. The weather was not helpful (warmer than average/usual). But the experience at packet pickup was wonderful: it felt like a hometown 5K instead of a huge expo to navigate. And the water bottle table was a game changer. (Pro tip: freeze your later lap water bottles to pour over yourself if it's hot out. The race provides plenty of hydration.) And the race was wonderful: the crowd was perfect and just where we needed them, lots of EMT presence just in case, the course was perfect with few twists and turns and by lap 2, we knew where they were. And the course was lovely. But most importantly, race organization was perfection: great info, super helpful staff, and the pacers were amazing. Can't recommend the race enough. I finished with a 9 min BQ cushion and would be happy to run this again.
Y. C. from New York (5/5/2022) "A well organize race with great course" (about: 2022) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It was a great race, even though the weather ended up being not ideal. Craig, the race director, was very helpful with my many emails prior to the race. I really enjoyed having an elite style personal fueling table and also enjoyed the course very much (actually really liked that it was 8 loops - helped me know what to expect). The tee shirt material wasn't great but ultimately, I ran 3 minutes below my BQ time so that's the most important thing. What I didn't like was the company that was in charge of chip timing. It missed 1 or 2 of my laps and initially showed that I didn't finish the race! When I contacted the company, they were able to fix it quickly and show that I did finish the race, but my splits were totally messed up and they weren't able to fix it. Also, the email responses were short & rude.

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Marathon Details - Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon