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Race Reports for Chicago Marathon

[1]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Average
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: Great race. Chicago is really a fantastic town. Lots of fun sight-seeing (with seated options, like the totally fantastic Architecture Boat Tour!) for everyone, great restaurants, etc. The race is flat as a pancake with good crowd support. Definitely coming back to do this one again in the future.
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[2]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities?
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: Overall a very well run race. However, being in the second wave, I was disappointed that the pace truck was passing me not even halfway through the race. I didn't start in the back of my corral (the last one) and I was definitely under a 15 min mile during the first 8-10 miles so it seemed like the pace vehicles were ahead of schedule. This was only a problem when they started crowding the course when there were still lots of runners out. I never got pushed onto the sidewalk like last time, but aid stations were getting shut down right as I was getting to them which made getting fluids a little harder later in the race- and it made me worry that eventually there might not be water on the course so I kept stopping to fill my handheld bottle. I asked other runners if they thought the pace car was too fast and they confirmed what I thought, so I don't know. I get that things have to get shut down and opened up but when there are that many runners out, adhering to the policy they set up (6.5
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[3]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: Only marathon I have ever ran so hard to compare, great overall experience though.
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[4]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability:

  • Comments: Large crowd. Lots to see. bands, Elvis, great signs, old folks waving from buildings. Lots of positive energy.
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[5]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: This is the Chicago Marathon. These guys know what they are doing. I have nothing to say here, even with new security measures in place it was FLAWLESS.
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[6]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: It's three blocks from home so it's pretty much in my backyard.
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[7]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: Chicago does it right. They had to up security because of Boston and they did a great job. There were water and aid stations and lots of volunteers as well as hoards of people cheering us on.
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[8]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: I don't know if Todd will ever do a marathon again, but I just love it. I especially love the training process and Oasis. As sore as I am today, it's very likely I will sign up again next year.
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[9]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: GI/nutrition issues are problematic.
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[10]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: The Chicago Marathon. Gotta love it.
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[11]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities?
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: I love this city. I could not have picked a better race for my first marathon.
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[12]
Reported by:
User photo
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[13]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: This was a fantastic race! Extremely organized, tons of volunteers. The course was crazy flat as advertised and should have been prime for BQing. Although I didn't quite manage to BQ (Dang lower standards!), I was still extremely pleased with the result. A 12 minute PR is nothing to sneeze at and once I shape up race goals for next year I know I will easily put up a qualifying time. I'll just have to make sure to avoid broken bones in the meantime.
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[14]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: Can't wait for next year!
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[15]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities?
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: Chicago puts on an AWESOME race and I can't wait till next year. Getting close to 40,000 racers across the finish line is great. A small city moved 26.2 miles on Sunday and I was overwhelmed to be part of it.
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[16]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Average
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: I enjoyed the race and I'm glad I did it, but it's probably not a race I would choose to do again. I guess I am just a small-town guy now, but I enjoy doing the smaller races, so I'll probably mostly stick to that.
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[17]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities?
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: I love this race. So long as I live in Chicago, I'll probably keep doing this marathon. Even though I'm in pain right now, I know that will subside soon enough, and the memory of the amazing crowds will have me registering again come February.
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[18]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: I always have to express my awe at what a finely oiled machine this marathon is. 45,000 participants (give or take) is the size of a small city. I know there are cheaper marathons out there, but for those of us that live here, it's still a great deal. And if you don't live here, what a great way to experience Chicago.
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[19]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: I'm glad I did this. The distance really is challenging- both mentally and physically. I'm also happy I chose to take part in the American Cancer Society fundraising. I'd definitely do it again, but I would probably go about raising funds in a different way. Last... I'm happy to close this chapter on life. I am glad it finished better than it started at this time last year.
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[20]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: DO THIS RACE! Extremely organized, tons of volunteers and aid stations, lots of amenities you wouldn't expect for such a massive race. The city is beautiful, and the crowd support is simply overwhelming. I doubt I'll do another race of this caliber in my lifetime. I enjoyed every second!
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[21]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Too easy

  • Comments: Awesome race and easy course.
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[22]
Reported by:
User photo
  • Organised?
  • Events on time?

  • Lots of volunteers to help?
  • Plenty of drink stations?

  • Post race activities?
  • Overall course based on my ability:

  • Comments: I really enjoyed the race as well as the city. The city of Chicago really supports the race and the crowd support was awesome.
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[23]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Too easy

  • Comments: Chicago is an awesome race. They were extremely well organized, especially considering the massive scale of the race. The expo blew my mind. I highly recommend this race. It is also very flat. However, unless you are seeded in the A corral, the flow of runners never really lets up, so the course is pretty crowded. That makes it super fun, but if you need to save a few minutes to get a PR, the congesting might take away those few minutes.
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[24]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Average
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: As I mentioned earlier, its hard to think about doing a marathon elsewhere with the crowd support and the overall venue that Chicago provides.
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[25]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?
  • Events on time?

  • Lots of volunteers to help?
  • Plenty of drink stations?

  • Post race activities?
  • Overall course based on my ability:

  • Comments: This is an awesome marathon. And if were ever going to do another marathon (unlikely!), this would be high on my list. Despite the unpredictable weather, the course is great, the spectators are great (a cop I was talking to the day before, said they anticipate 1-1.5 MILLION people to be out watching... unbelievable, isn't it?) and it's a wonderful experience.
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