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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 271 to 281]
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K. D. from Chicago, IL
(4/22/2008)
"I will not run it again" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 6+ Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I have run Chicago for the past 7 years and never did I have a worse experience than in 2007. That was my last time running Chicago. It was poorly planned and poorly run. No one took responsibility for that day. | |
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C. R. from Miami, FL
(3/25/2008)
"The heat, the horrible heat!!!" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 This marathon could have started earlier, at 6 a.m., and they could have advised us when we pick up the packets. That would've made the marathon much more bearable. | |
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G. M. from Seattle
(3/10/2008)
"No Explanation" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Mid-March. It's pushing half a year now and still no explanation from race officials. I sort of expected at least a letter or email but as of yet, neither. My sole source of information has been this website and the February issue of Runner's World, which had a good, informative article on the "Meltdown." Apparently 25,000 of us had an official time, and sure enough, the marathon website lists "official" results. This after we were told via megaphone during the race that it was "canceled" at the 3:30 point and the timing was stopped. However, the split timing mats did appear to be off (no chirping) even though the clocks were still running. Sure enough, on the marathons website, I had a result listed for each split, even for 30K and 35K - after I thought the timing mats were off. Hmmm! Guess we'll just have to continue our wait for officials to announce an "official" word. | |
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Mike Riordan from St. Louis, MO
(3/5/2008)
"Fast course. Great sponsor and local support." (about: 1999)
6-10 previous marathons
| 6+ Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I began running the Chicago Marathon in 1995. I have run the Chicago Marathon six times and have never had a bad experience. The weather to start has been anywhere from the mid thirties to low forties finishing up at around fifty degrees. Absolutely perfect. While the race has doubled in size over the course of my thirteen year histroy with the race, the race continues to be an enjoyable experience for me and my family to attend. I am signing up this year to compete with my daughter (20) who will be participating in her first marathon. I give the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon my highest personal recommendation. | |
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G. S. from New Jersey
(2/1/2008)
"Still No Certificates for 2007" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I suspect the organizers ran out of certificates like they ran out of water during the marathon. It's already February and still no certificates. Now they tell me that we should expect to receive them in March - I hope before the next marathon, which is currently open for registration. | |
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K. H. from San Diego, CA
(1/26/2008)
"Challenging day" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. Despite the heat, it was an amazing experience. The spectator support was unbelievable! Fortunately I had my hydration belt so did not have any issues with the water. I disagree with G.T. below. Carrying 32 ounces with an Amphipod belt is no problem. No, you don't need to carry a gallon of water; 32 ounces provided more than enough reserve considering the problems. I adjusted my pace accordingly and finished with a sprint to the finish line. I'll be back in 2008! | |
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G. T. from Libertyville, IL
(1/16/2008)
"My 2 cents" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 6+ Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I have run 9 marathons now (7 Chicagos) and each time I have learned a little bit more about the art of marathoning. It is an art, because even if one has done more than a couple of marathons, you understand that all the best training efforts are dashed when the weather does not cooperate. Not everyone lives in an area that would have allowed them to arrive well-acclimated and to excel at the 2007 Chicago. Most of us are counting on low 40s with no wind or precipitation. During my first several marathons, I had no idea how much fluid I should consume to maintain a hydrated state. There were times toward the end of those early races when I did not know if I was over-hydrated or dehydrated (early symptoms are the same), which is a reason for concern in both instances; however, the athlete does not know how to respond. Should I drink more or have I had enough? I also did not know how many calories I should have consumed. After a few of those instances, I read a little more and acquired more knowledge and arrived at subsequent marathons a little more prepared. That is, I now know I have a sweat rate of between 45-60 ounces per hour and I need to consume 160 ounces of an electrolyte fluid during the course of the marathon if the temperature is 70 degree F, for example. I ran a Boston qualifier at the 2006 Chicago and my time for the 2007 Chicago was 55 minutes slower than my goal and 1 hour 15 minutes slower than my Boston qualifier. The two reasons I give for that poor showing is, one, I did not have anything to prove and secondly, that was not the day to do it. Moreover, I started running with a fellow who was struggling. It was his first marathon and I did not want him to make a bad rookie decision and become a casualty. This individual had no idea what his hydration status was at that point in the race. I am a doctor, so I ran/walked with him for most of the latter part of the race to support his efforts and keep a watch over him. The point of all of this is the race has young, inexperienced runners and because of that the RACE, not the individual, has a responsibility to ensure their safety. I think the Chicago Marathon did the right thing by ending the event early. The handling of the termination is a subject for another discussion. I know we are all adults and we sign a waiver; however, most of us really do not know what to expect from our first couple of marathons. Under ideal conditions, most of us will be successful as an inexperienced marathoner, but under extremely adverse conditions most of us do not have the experience to make sound decisions. I would be surprised if most of those folks determined how much water they needed to consume in order to stay hydrated when the temperature is 88 degrees. Some of the contributors to this blog have suggested that runners should have carried their own water. Well, I am here to tell you that marathoning is difficult enough without toting over a gallon of my own fluids. | |
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M. P. from St. Louis, MO
(1/6/2008)
"Fabulous spectators!" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 We all know what happened in Chicago. But, this being my first marathon, I will NEVER forget it. It was the most amazing experience. Even when the police officers were telling people to walk and that the race was canceled, there was NO WAY I would stop running. I know my body; I felt fine. I had been preparing for this day for six months and no one was going to tell me to stop. What helped me? The city of CHICAGO and all the fabulous spectators. Yes it was hot and there weren't a lot of fluids to be found, but I knew it was going to be hot and prepared accordingly. I do feel bad for those folks that didn't have fluids. I say, try it again in 2008. If you have the same feelings about the race, then so be it. Give it another shot (but be prepared for ANYTHING). | |
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C. C. from Toronto, Canada
(1/5/2008)
"Will not run again until management changes" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 Chicago has been my fall marathon for the last 4 years. The course is fast, the spectators are terrific and the logistics of the start/finish are much easier than at other big marathons such as Boston or New York. In October, while I was significantly off my pace, I was at the front of the pack so I did not experience any of the delays or water shortages that plagued the race. However, my wife was a little farther back and experienced waits for water from the first stops and found deserted/depleted water stations on the back half of the course. That is inexcusable. To suggest that runners were at fault for not bringing their own water or using too much water is ridiculous. The marathon attracted paying customers by, among other things, representing that it would provide basic amenities such as water. If race organizers had told runners in advance that runners should bring their own water because the race organizers could not guarantee there would be enough, then that would be different. But if race organizers had said that, I would have run a different marathon, any one of hundreds that do provide water. Similarly, I choose not to run marathons that do not provide mile markers or cannot provide accurate timing or course measurement. It is galling that race organizers, and some commenters on this board, blame the 2007 race's failures on the behavior or fitness level of runners. The Chicago Marathon advertises itself as friendly to first-timers and openly courts a massive field that organizers must know includes a significant number of very slow, and perhaps not adequately fit, participants. This makes the race organizers' lack of preparedness even more unforgivable. The manner in which the race was canceled was incredibly clumsy and botched. Rolling up runners from the back would have made much more sense than shutting down the course everywhere at once. Experienced and competent runners who had slowed down so that they could finish were penalized for being prudent. My wife is an experienced marathoner and was at mile 22 when the race was canceled and police tried to force her to stop running. She intentionally had gone much slower than her planned pace precisely so she would be physically able to finish. She refused to stop and finished the entire race. For the last four miles of the race, the only water stations my wife and the runners around her saw were folded up and covered with signs that said the race had been canceled. Yes, the conditions were extreme and unprecedented, but they should not have been unexpected. The weather forecast had been consistent for about a week. I found it telling that the first station one encountered as you crossed the finish line was where they attempted to wrap runners in thermal blankets. The race organizers' failures were compounded by their lack of acknowledgment of those failures. Until the race organizers acknowledge their failures, runners should choose another race. There are plenty of alternatives to choose from. If you do decide to run Chicago and the temps are predicted to be 80 or above, be sure to bring your own fluids. Otherwise, you are likely to experience the disappointment felt by the ten thousand plus runners who were unable to complete the marathon in 2007. | |
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P. G. from Kalamazoo, Michigan
(12/31/2007)
"Poorly organized / race officials gave no apology" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I had high hopes for this marathon. It had a great reputation and I've wanted to run it since I was young. So this was more than a bit disappointing. This was my second marathon. I trained hard for this race and was ready for the conditions IF I had hydration. I paid for hydration but things fell apart at only 10K into the race. The race officials knew at least a week in advance that it was going to be record heat. They sent all participants emails. Why weren't they prepared?! For a race of the Chicago Marathon's size and reputation, I expected FAR more. The only reason I finished the race was because the spectators are the best around. Leaving runners stranded out on a course where aid stations are being shut down and all the hydration that we paid for is being handed out to locals is unacceptable. Not only that, but race officials and sponsors never apologized and I continue to get mailings trying to sell their goods. Heck, I think they owe any 2007 participants more than an apology. We should get to run 2008 FREE! But I don't see that happening, so I won't be running this race anytime in the near future. I work too hard for my money and too hard at staying fit to waste it on this race. I hope this is the only race I ever run where police helicopters are flying overhead announcing that the race is shut down. |
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