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Jun 17, 2024

Illinois Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Illinois Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.5

Spectators 4.4

Number of comments: 172 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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L. R. from Cincinnati, Ohio (4/30/2012) "Forget Chicago - this is a great Illinois Marathon" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Just completed the 2012 race and have nothing but positive comments about this marathon. This is absolutely a beginner friendly course and the volunteers/spectators were fantastic. Water stops were frequent and very organized with large signs telling you which table had water and which Gatorade. As a back of the pack marathoner I never felt alone as there was almost always someone within eyesight shouting encouragements and keeping traffic organized. Race expo is a little small and the t-shirt a bit bland, but lets face it we run this for the race NOT for fashionable outfits. This is definitely a top notch affair and I highly encourage anyone looking for an Illinois marathon to consider this gem. Thank you, thank you to the race organization for I had a great time. Bonus - I think Champaign Urbana might have some of THE nicest people around and the marathon medals this year were very cool!!
J. P. from Indiana (4/29/2012) "Fun Event" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Illinois Marathon is a very well organized event. The course is relatively flat with only gentle upgrades. You finish on the fifty yard line of the Fighting Illini football field which is very cool. As you enter the stadium you see the field, you on the jumbo tron and lots of people sitting in the stands. Very fun indeed. Only comment for improvement is they need more porta potties on the course. Much of the course is in-town, residential areas or open farm fields so it doesn't lend itself to woods diving for private time. Those porta potties on the course had five to ten people waiting to use them so it just kills your time when you have to wait that long. Other than that this is one terrific event. I'll be back for sure.
J. D. from Newark, DE (4/29/2012) "Really well organized" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Nice job by all the volunteers and race director. Prior to selecting this race, I read the reviews, and it seems that all of the suggested improvements from the past were implemented this year. With the wave starts, the course never felt over crowded, and starting both races at the same time plus having a separate finish chute for the marathoners made for an easy finish. All aid stations were generously staffed despite the threat of cold, wind-driven rain by folks who were eager to assist. I think all of the stops along the second half of the marathon offerred both water and Gatorade, plus there were 4-5 opportunities for GUs. All of the many street crossings were manned, and traffic was never a concern. The only short coming was an inadequate supply of solar blankets, which were exhausted early on and made for a shivering post race walk back to the car. Thank goodness parking is plentiful enough that you can easily park within a 5 minute walk of the start and finish lines.
D. S. from Downers Grove, Illinois (4/29/2012) "Great Local Race - Flat, Fast, Fun" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Illinois Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my 9th marathon and 2nd Illinois Marathon. This is a really great local marathon and one that every midwestern marathoner should have on thier list. The town and organizers really take ownership of this race which makes all the difference in the world. If you are looking for a BQ or a PR this is your race!
J. G. from Macomb, Il. (4/29/2012) "Excellent flat course highly recommend" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 As this race grows in popularity the traffic to get to parking is going to be a problem!! I left the motel with what I thought was plenty of time to get parked but arrived just in time to start. Great race, great community support, great view, great ending.The wave start seemed to reduce start congestion. Next year I will give myself plenty of time to park.
J. E. from Midwest USA (4/28/2012) "Gets better every year" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Illinois Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've run the full marathon twice and the half marathon once. It's a very well organized race with great crowd support even over the last half of the marathon after the course splits. The aid stations are well stocked. The new wave start (2012) seemed to make big difference. The post race food is the best. The race T-shirts are ones I actually run in and the expo is great for this size of race. The weather can be a little windy but it's a flat course through the most scenic parts of Urbana and Champaign and there are plenty of breaks from any wind.
Chris White from Houston, TX (9/30/2011) "Excellent race all 3 years, keeps getting better" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Illinois Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Race is very well organized and gets better each year. They actually listen to feedback and implement changes to improve the following year. Finishing in Memorial Field is worth the price of admission.
L. V. from West Lafayette, Indiana (9/28/2011) "Great Course - finish not well thought out" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 4th marathon and I was pushing for a Boston BQ. I hit the time 3:08:59, but ended up falling short due to the new registration process for Boston by 13 seconds (needed to be 3:08:46). My major complaint was the merge of the marathon and half-marathoners into the same finish. My family did not see me finish due to the 3 hour 1/2 marathoners walking and jogging in (several drove over an hour and didn't see me until I walked into the stands). As the race merges I came to almost a stop from my 6:45 pace and had to coast in with a 9:00 pace (there was my 13 seconds I needed for Boston!!) In my opinion they need a running shoot for marathoners coming down into the stadium that seperates the marathoners and have a seperate finish for us, so families can find their runners easier. Overall it was a great experience, but I won't race it again until things are changed at the finish.
T. B. from Tuscaloosa, AL (5/17/2011) "great experience for first marathon" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I traveled from Alabama looking for a cool location that was flat for my first marathon. Overall I was very pleased with the experience. My race hotel was nice and catered to the runners. As an out of towner, I was not familiar with the area. The maps provided by the race committee were somewhat confusing but we eventually figured out where we needed to be. Parking was adequate at the race start/finish. Great stadium finish. My husband ran the friday night 5k and liked the finish and the food. Nice medals for 5k and marathon. Liked the early marathon start. My pace leader for 4:15 goal was just ok. The pace varied quite a bit throughout the race. She started with a group of 25 of us and less than half of that group ended up finishing with her. I finished 4:18 so I was at least able to keep her in sight most of the way. Two complaints. Getting out of the stadium was a bit confusing, particularly on friday night. Officials would not let family members leave via the same entrance as runners. We had to completely hike around the entire stadium to get out. Many exits were closed and blocked. Very frustrating. The female tech shirts for the marathon were very bland looking and the word 'marathon' was soooo small. My shirt is also cut uneven around the bottom edge it is shorter in the front than it is in the back and fits awkwardly. Other than that the experience was great!
E. B. from Charlottesville, Va (5/9/2011) "Flat and windy; great community support" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Very well organized with fantastic community and fan support. Course is flat, as expected, mostly through neighborhoods with a nice few mile stretch through a park in the first half. It was very windy this year. Temperature was reasonably cool, but holding it this late in the year is risky. Even this year, after 3 hours in, it was getting a bit warm. Race expo and pasta dinner were both good. I was running a 3:20 pace, until mile 20 anyway, and there were no tight spots in the park (which I'm sure there was in the much larger half-marathon). It's not the most scenic or interesting course, but the organization and fan support are great. The medal is ridiculously large; I'm surprised I was allowed to bring it on the plane home. I also find it too brightly colored, but others seem thrilled with it.

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