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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 231 to 241]
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m. m. from buffalo, ny
(10/28/2008)
"fantastic race, super organization, stellar fans" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my third marathon (my 2nd big city; I did NY 2007). I will make a few comparisons between Chicago 2008 and NY 2007, just for someone who may be interested in pros/cons of the two. First of all, from an exhilaration and excitement standpoint, you cannot even compare a big-city marathon to a small-city marathon. The big cities are must-dos. OK, the comparisons: Expo - Chicago's expo blows NY away. The number of product available in larger sizes in Chicago was a huge plus! Start - Chicago blows NY away again. In NY 2007, we had to be at the start 3-3.5 hours early and sit in the cold. Chicago was very, very convenient and it was easy to access the bag check and start. The fact that the start/finish is in the same area make the baggage check an easy process. NY is a one-way race, so the logistics are a little harder. One thing that I did not like about the start in Chicago is the fact that I signed up for a pace group, but was unable to get to them prior to the start. I started to fight through the crowd to try to reach the pace group, but people were not too happy with my cutting them in the corral. They really ought to have side entrance gates into the corral for pace groupers. Either that or they should have told us that we would need to get there much, much earlier to be able to meet up with them. It's not a deal-breaker by any means, but it is something that would be helpful if improved or communicated properly. The course - Chicago is a very nice, relatively flat course. It does not compare to NY though. If you want spectacular, then you must run NY. There were areas in Chicago where spectators were allowed to get onto the street a little farther than runners would have liked, and it caused some unnecessary congestion in a bunch of spots. You have to expect that in a race of this magnitude though. NY is more spectacular, but it is also more difficult. Fans - The fans in Chicago are awesome - probably only second to NY! I would say that the NY fans were more abundant and louder, but what the heck is the difference between 1.5 (Chicago) or 2 million (NY) people? If you never ran NY, you would sure think Chicago was the best! Finish - Chicago was exponentially better than NY in this regard. I don't know what changes NY has made since 2007, but we were corralled like cattle at the end of the race, and it was pitiful at best. Chicago had a nice finish allowing for runners to disperse not long after the finish line. Cost, etc. - Chicago seemed to be a little less gouging than NY. I would do Chicago again in a heartbeat. | |
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R. G. from Ohio
(10/21/2008)
"The crowd makes this race" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my second Chicago Marathon, with my first being in 2004. Overall, I love Chicago, and they do an awesome job with such a huge number of people. Pre-Race: Website is full of information, although I'd like to see more communication leading up to the race. Expo: I loved it. It felt much improved from my first experience, which was also very good. There was a lot of room to walk around. I love Nike as the apparel sponsor, as the apparel for purchase was much more fun. Race Morning: Getting around and into the correct corral was a bit of a chore. I should have studied the map better to find the right way into the seeded corral, as there was little signage. Lots of bathrooms, but still need more. Race: Organization was great. Plenty of hydration and bananas. I wish that they had changed to red earlier, and I wish that I had seen the change. Spectators are awesome. You never feel alone. After Race: A little hectic, but what can you expect with 31K finishers along with spectators? While I was off my PB by 9 minutes, I still had a great time and will be back. The heat was bad, but not bad enough to stop me from doing a half the next weekend; that one in a PB. | |
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William Joy from Ionia, MI
(10/20/2008)
"What an experience!" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 What a great marathon! There were ample amounts of water and Gatorade along the course. There were literally people cheering you on along the course for the entire 26.2 miles! The course was flat, and it was wide enough to support the over 30,000 people who ran the course. The only suggestion I would have would be to start the race earlier. This would cut back on the heat-related issues, as it was hot during the race. | |
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K. G. from Atlanta
(10/19/2008)
"AMAZING MARATHON!!" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon and it was an amazing weekend. Beautiful city, great course, terrific fans and just awesome energy on the course! I qualified for Boston and it was really just such a great race! I would recommend this marathon to anyone. Thanks to all the volunteers... I loved the misting stations. Thank you to race organizers! It was a blast! | |
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s. j. from Central Illinois
(10/19/2008)
"Wish I could give 6's!!!!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second visit to this course, and I set a PR (yippee). What can one say? Everything was classy!!!! THANK you for the 312's!! A nice beverage. The ice bags were a treat. Seeded bib gear check rocks. The 3:00-hour pace leaders were fantastic!! Great crowd support. Aid stations terrific. E-mail communication terrific. Wish I could give 6's!!! | |
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D. B. from Atlanta GA
(10/16/2008)
"Wow, What Great Fans and Organization" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great fan support. Great race organization. Great aid stations and volunteers. Expo was missing the usual cool LOGO gear (all Nike). Would be better if the start was at 7 a.m. Why don't marathons have a "half-mile to go" sign at the 25.5-ish mark? Chicago is a great city to visit and race in!! There's an overwhelming number of runners and fans. Thanks, Chicago; that was painfully fun (again)!! | |
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J. W. from St. Louis, Missouri
(10/15/2008)
"Incredible" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and the whole thing was first-class. The organization and support were excellent, and the crowd was unbelievable! The heat was brutal and I spent the last 9 miles in survival mode, but the crowd and ample aid stations saw me through to the finish. | |
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Steve King from Jeffersonville,IN
(10/15/2008)
"Hot, but worth it!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I agree with the comment from the person from Springfield, MO. The marathon should start at 7 instead of 8. It would be better for all concerned, because the heat wouldn't be so bad, and the tourists downtown would have the streets back an hour earlier. Otherwise the organizers did a wonderful job of keeping us hydrated. Thank you to BofA and Mayor Daley for a wonderful time in a GREAT city. | |
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V. W. from Chicago
(10/15/2008)
"Unexpected Experience" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and I had a wonderful time. It was hot, and unlike last year, there was plenty of water - and I really appreciated the ICE!!! The fans and the volunteers were awesome... I couldn't have done it without them. Overall, the course was great and I appreciate the improvements made. THE ICE WAS A GREAT IDEA... I NEVER WOULD HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT THE ICE!!!!!!! | |
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Danny Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie oy oy oy from Atlanta GA
(10/15/2008)
"Great Course, Great Race and I'm Famous" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my 15th marathon, and Chicago again put on a spectacular race. The weather prevented a PB, but I walked away knowing I had given my best. A 3:03 is a great time. I even made the front page of the Chicago Tribune. Yes, that's me with the towels on my head. I was spent. Oh well, I can now claim Chicago gave me my 15 minutes of fame. A special thanks to Bridgette and the race organizing team for helping me out in the week before to get my corral right. NICE JOB! You can't control the weather! All you can do is give it your best. See you next year. |
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