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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 801 to 811]
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Wade Morris from Birmingham, Alabama
(12/27/2002)
"Great Run But Extremely Crowded" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everything about the marathon in Chicago is unbelievable. It is well run and the amount of people in the crowd makes you feel like a rock star. However, do not do this run if you are looking for a PR. Average runners are put in the middle to back of the pack and it is hard to get around people. I was weaving in and around people for around twenty miles but I could not make up for how slow the first two miles were. I will be back next year for the fun, not a PR. | |
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A Runner from Louisville, KY
(12/11/2002)
"Flat Fun but Crowded" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My 1st marathon but now have done 3 of them. Fans and scenery were great as was the city. I got off to a good start in the right pace group and was able to keep my pace but the crowds made it difficult. | |
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A Runner from North Side Chicago
(12/10/2002)
"Marathon DVD" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The Marathon Highlight DVD just arrived! I'm already pumped for next year. Its worth the cash to remember such a great day. Chicago was my first marathon this year and I'll never miss it. | |
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A Runner from chicago
(12/10/2002)
"best day of my life..." (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon [2001] and I had 25 friends show up along the course to cheer me on, but with the 1 million spectators I really didnt need them. OK, that's a lie, I did need them and I'm glad they were there - during the last couple miles of the race, as I was coming through the southern portion of grant park, with the skyline visible in front of me... and all I could hear were my footfalls on the pavement... it's me and the road... and I realize... I'm home... --- I'm thrilled to have run my first marathon ever at home... and this was the perfect race... and the perfect day... | |
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A Runner from New York
(12/3/2002)
"Great for a fast , fun PR!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Chicago was my 2nd marathon and I had a great time while also beating my 3:30 goal with a 3:29. While I see others had traffic problems, I had none. Compensating for what the crowd does, I lined up well towards the front, was at the starting line in an astounding 90 seconds, and had no crowd issues even in the initial miles. I was able to run my race at my own pace without any major problems. Crowd support made it fun...in the central section of the City at around mile 11, the cheering was nearly deafening. My 1 suggestion would be to change the directions and start going South and finish at the starting line. The last few miles -- when the support really matters -- are somewhat desolate. Overall, a great marathon. I will likely return next fall with the intention of doing a 3:10, my Boston qualfiying time. Good luck! | |
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A Runner from Detroit Area, MI
(12/1/2002)
"Simply Awesome!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon (I ran the Detroit Free Press in 2001) and all of my marathon buddies said I needed to do it. I ran with Team Playmakers of East Lansing, MI (thanks Ann and TEAM RED!) and I had an absolutely unbelievable time. Yes, it was crowded. Yes, there was some bottlenecking on the course...but it was sooo exciting to see so many spectators. Many of the miles seemed to fly by and even when the pack thinned out there were still hundreds and hundreds of runners at every pace. I think there were several times during Detroit last year where I couldn't even see another runner, let alone fans! This may not be the PR setting course for the faster runners, but I shaved 17 minutes off my Detroit time and was quite pleased with a 4:37:21 finish. My advice: find a place to stay EARLY, join a TEAM so you can have the advantage of a private tent (we shared our tent with about 500 runners as opposed to 25,000), enjoy the beautiful scenery, make new friends, and bring a first-timer next year (I wish I would have run this race first...I apprectiated Detroit because it was my hometown race and I was running for Charity...but if I never run another marathon, Chicago will sit foremost in my memories). | |
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A Runner from Phoenix, AZ
(11/8/2002)
"Course is nice and flat, but..." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I agree with the those who posted previously about the crowds and bottlenecking. Spectator support was great, but there were several points on the course where they started to get way too close to the runners. And from the start to the finish of the race you are either trying to pass slower runners or being elbowed by runners trying to pass you. Because the first few miles were so slow (due to the crowding) I kept hoping to be able to pick up the pace and run negative splits, but this was a virtual impossibility. It's best to run this just to enjoy the experience and not worry about a PR. One other quibble: due to construction in the city, I must have walked four miles before I found the expo the day before the marathon (the 5K fun run volunteer I talked to said it was 'just down the road'), and once inside the convention center, finding where to pick up your packet was rather confusing. Many people were trying to follow the signs and found themselves walking in circles. If I do Chicago again, I will definitely visit the expo Friday so my legs will feel fresher on marathon day. | |
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A Runner from Boston, MA
(11/6/2002)
"Great race, great city, but a bit too crowded." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I would definitely run this race again. The course was great - very flat. Chicago is a wonderful city. If you run this race, plan to arrive early or stay an extra day or more to enjoy the city (e.g., food, attractions, architecture, etc.). Complaint: 30,000 runners may be too may. The race was very crowded. I felt like I was running in a rugby scrum for the whole race. Although the spectators were awesome, race officials did little to keep spectators out of the start and finish areas. This made getting to the gear check area virtually impossible. In addition, race officials should try to keep spectators on the sidewalks and off the course. Spectators pressing into the streets caused severe bottle necking throughout the race. | |
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A Runner from Chitown
(11/6/2002)
"Proud to be from Chitown!" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I did this race once before in '99 and it was a moving experience for me but very tough because it was my first. But this year it was my 9th, and I loved every minute of it. The crowd seemed twice as large and twice as loud than in '99. The organization improved and the expo was the best yet. I can't thank all the enthusiastic volunteers enough, ALL OF YOU ROCK! Yes the race was very crowded but what did you expect? If you want a great race thats more managable, try Twin Cities or the Flying Pig. It was still possible to PR. I did and so did two of my friends. Next year I'll have London and NY to compare Chicago to, but right now, I can't imagine any of the gigantic marathons could be better. Next year I'm going to volunteer at Chicago, so I'll be cheering all you repeaters and next years virgins! Happy Trails. | |
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david from asheboro, NC
(11/5/2002)
"Great marathon, well organized, lots to see and do" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The greatest thing about this race is that you can stay in one of the close hotels, roll out of bed, zip down to Grant Park, finish in the park and stagger back to your hotel for a nice hot shower with a minimum of fuss. They make it easy. I like that. The course is not as scenic as it could be. I was hoping to run in sight of lake michigan but you can't really see it. All you see is the Sears tower. It won't go away. You head north and come back to it, west and come back, south and come back. Overall the course is about as good as you could get inside a city. With 30,000 people the organization was top notch. Lots of water and gatorade that was better managed than NYC (which I ran 3 weeks later). Things to do - Fields museum, aquarium, planetarium, kids museum - all close and all accessible with a FREE trolley from the downtown area. T-shirt was OK but not a true WOW shirt. Medal was pretty good. The course was flat and the temps were good. The expo was the best I have been to. I would do this one again and for comparison I would not do NYC again. I am not sure how the Lake Shore Marathon compares but I would be interested in that one too. |
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