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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 421 to 431]
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S. M. from Bradenton, FL
(10/9/2007)
"My worst nightmare come to life" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 Actually, I could have never dreamed of something as horrific as Sunday was. The spectators were phenomenal. They were what pulled many, many people (including me) through this race. Many of them were out there for more than 6 hours purchasing water, Gatorade, ice, and candy for the runners. I cannot say enough good things about the people of Chicago. I would have rated the course higher, but for a few small details. My biggest gripe was the draw bridges not being covered. Those are very difficult to run over and, if any portion of the bridge was covered with carpet, it was only a small strip. The entire thing should have been covered. The organization was a disaster. Hot/humid conditions have been predicted for more than a week, so there is no excuse for such a poor contingency plan. The first step in their contingency plan should have been to push the race back to 6:00 a.m. They could've worked with city officials early in the week to ensure street closings, etc., and participants could have been notified when picking up race packets. Crowd control was not great either. There were many areas (particularly early in the race) were crowds were in the street, narrowing the area in which runners could actually run. Finally, the 'spin' on the water/Gatorade situation is the reason I will likely never run this race again. There are 45,000 people saying that there were deficiencies in water/Gatorade, and the officials are denying it. That's inexcusable. I, personally, did not run into any stations that were completely out of either item; however, as early as mile 4, there were stations where portions of the station had been disassembled b/c they were running out of water. I am sure that people who were on a 4:30+ pace found areas that were completely void of water. There were also areas that should've had fruit and sponges that were not available. All in all, while I understand that no one can control the weather, any good business has a good contingency plan in place, and the Chicago Marathon clearly needs some guidance in this area. | |
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Michael Thompson from Chicago
(10/9/2007)
"Good job Marathon, Fantastic job Chicago" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Having run this race five times now, I have never been more determined and excited to do it again. Any organization charged with taking care of 45,000 people that are pushing their bodies to the limit can encounter logistical problems like the race officials did this year, and their move to cancel the race when they did was absolutely correct. What people need to take away from what happened this year is that, where the marathon organization had its shortcomings, the people of Chicago very capably filled in. The stories you hear of spectators buying bottles of water for runners and otherwise giving support to those in need inspire me much more to return to this race than its flat course and the (usually) excellent conditions that lend themselves to PRs. This race offers great scenery, competitive times, good organization, and, as this year shows, spectators that care to an inspiring degree. I can't wait to run it again next year. | |
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Troy Rand from Waterloo, IA
(10/9/2007)
"It Hurt and I Loved It" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 One hour slower than I expected, but I'm still alive and I finished. | |
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H. D. from Dallas, Texas
(10/9/2007)
"I had to FIGHT for the right to finish this race!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Chicago was my first marathon and I trained for months to be able to complete it in a reasonable time goal. I am originally from Chicago, but I live in Dallas now. I was on track to run a 5 hour marathon and was shocked to see that the 2nd and 3rd aid stations were completely closed down. Thankfully, I was running with my cell phone and was able to call ahead to my mother and husband to have water ready at Mile 5. If it weren't for them and a nice lady that was giving out gatorade endurance CONCENTRATE (Yuck), I don't know what I would have done. People around me with no other option but to keep running without hydration were crying and dejected. It was a horrible site. I can only imagine the trouble for the people behind me. At mile 18 I was told the race was over and I would have to go back to the finish line. They were rerouting people to the finish line for an abreviated course, forcing them into buses, and yanking them off the course. I had to BREAK THROUGH THE BARRICADE to be able to stay on the marathon course and I am SO GLAD I DID. I was able to finish all 26.2 miles of the marathon despite being yelled at with a bullhorn and told it was a FELONY to keep running. I finished in 5 hours and 40 minutes and have never been so happy to blow my time goal. I feel horrible for those who were forced off the course and unable to finish their hard fought race. If I wasn't such a stubborn person, I would have been right there with them. Although I understand the race officials decision to end the race, I was horrified at how they handled the runners after that announcement. The ONLY redeeming factor was the AMAZING SPECTATORS who did everything to help the runners, I mean EVERYTHING. They were the BEST! My time sucked, but considering the fact that so many people were not allowed to complete the course, I consider my accomplishment a complete victory. | |
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M. D. from Canada
(10/9/2007)
"FORGET THE HEAT...TOO MANY RUNNERS" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 My fellow runners: Please stop defending the organizers, suggesting they did the noble thing by shutting the race down. The organizers were simply attempting to cover their butts. Word broke that several runners had been hospitalized due to a lack fluid on the course. The only reason the race officials cancelled the race is because they were afraid that their lack of planning would result in more runner fatalities, and of course, the liabilities that would be the inevitable consequence of them. The liabilities that race organizers should face will be mind-blowing, and all runners adversely affected by the fluid shortage on the course should sue the LaSalle Bank. I realize that we all sign a waiver prior to race entry, but that is under the assumption that course fluids would not evaporate FOR ANY REASON. Shutting the race down was nothing but damage control. You dont hear about Badwater being cancelled due to excessive heat do you? Everyone who ran this race MUST be compensated for their mental and financial suffering. This is coming from a runner who was unaffected by the lack of water as I carried my own. I posted a solid time considering the conditions, but my heart goes out to my pears of the running community who were not afforded an opportunity to run 42.2K subsequent to their months of training, and of course, my heart goes out to the family of the man who passed during the race. Hopefully his story will teach us all a painful lesson. Last point&45000 runners was ridiculous. This race was a "mosh pit". I ran at least 27 miles due to all of the juking and jiving. Keeping an even pace was impossible. I was forced to walk several corners and played more like a running back for four hours, despite the fact that I was at the very front of the open coral to start. | |
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T. H. from St. Louis, MO
(10/9/2007)
"If you could have done better, then take their job" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon and like others, I am ecstatic that I finished and the full 26.2, but it was hot, tough, and felt like a war zone. In my heart, I believe the organizers did their best to prepare. The circumstances were worse than they ever could have prepared for and they were caught off guard. Try organizing a 5k run in the summer to get a feel for what they are up against and multiply that by 10,000!! I'll be back because I liked the course and the fans and believe the organizers did a very good job under the circumstances. As runners, we should be self reliant and this is a good lesson for all of us. At the end of the day, it is the runners responsibility to be prepared. I'm guessing nobody handed out water and Gatorade on your 20-mile training run, did they? Thank you to the fans and volunteers for their support and god bless Chad Schieber's family and the rest of the recovering runners. | |
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K. B. from Troy, New York
(10/9/2007)
"Thank you Chicago spectators" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Chicago Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 You literally saved lives! I trained in similar weather, but the difference was that I had water. It really got desperate on the course when the fluids ran out. I watched 3 people drink from a spectators personal water bottle. She'd offered the water saying 'here take some. I know you guys really need it.' I'm terribly disappointed with the race officials who sorely understated the situation at the post race press conference. And if it's true that they are not going to count this run in order to save face for the reputation of the chicago marathon, I will be very upset. I was on that course and it felt like I'd run 40 miles by the time I got redirected at mile 17. To the officials: stopping the race was the right thing to do, but at least acknowledge your errors. That would really go a long way towards restoring my faith in the legendary event. | |
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B. B. from Shreveport, La
(10/8/2007)
"Necessity" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The decision to close this marathon was clearly a good choice. All runners remember the sites at the medical stations along the route..PACKED! Over 300 people went to the hospital and many many more would have had that decision not been made. I was able to finish the race, but I talked to many people that weren't. Granted there was not enough water and that's a big problem for the preparation of a marathon of this size. Regardless, it happened, and in the end, a lot of lives were saved because of the closure. As for the course, I have run this one in the past. The fans are absolutely wonderful. They actually care about you finishing. The route is great. The runners are obviously dedicated, or else they wouldn't run until they drop, as many did this year. I suggest this marathon for anyone. Lets just hope it's a little cooler next year. | |
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A. N. from CHICAGO ILLINOIS
(10/8/2007)
"would you like some cheese with your whine?" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Ok, stop already. I've heard enough complaining. No-one controls the weather; but god, there was water - you just had to either wait (god forbid lose seconds off your non medal winning time) or look for it and pour it yourself. But it was always there and I came in after 5 hours. There were also police there telling us to stop running and to walk. The race organizers along with the city and volunteers did the best that they could given the hot day. And we should all just be thankful that we make it home to our families because at least one person didn't | |
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N. C. from Memphis, TN
(10/8/2007)
"NO WATER" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Chicago Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I have run Chicago before and I loved it, and I will be back, but the aid stations DID run out of water and I NEVER saw gatorade. I have run 18 marathons, and have never seen anything like this. I was completely disappointed. Now, the spectators were AWESOME and did everything in their power to help the runners. A mark against the marathon organizers, but a great showing for the spectators. |
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