I read all of the comments before registering, so I felt I was pretty prepared. Most of the race is going back and forth on a bike trail, so you are covering the same path several times. There are a couple very steep, but short, hills (where the bike path goes under a street--you have to run up a somewhat steep, short hill to get back to street level), but you have to do them several times. It's not an extremely fast course, due to the narrow path and the few hills you have to do several times. But you don't have to worry much about traffic. The post-race refreshments were right at the finish.... Not a huge buffet, but certainly nothing to complain about--'Nilla wafers, bagels, bananas, oranges, Propel, water, and Gatorade.

As with most races this size, there are not many spectators, but you pass the same runners as you go back and forth on the trail and it's nice to be able to get and give encouragement there.

The after party was really nice.... At the Marriot, with a wonderful buffet of veggies (both fresh and sauteed), pineapple, strawberries, grapes, etc. It also had a live band. Wish I could have stayed longer.

Overall, not bad for a November marathon with 155 finishers. Obviously, there were a lot more people that did the half, or 5K. I did take a wrong turn at one point, but got it straightened out quickly. Just try to be aware of where you are in your miles and keep your music low, so you can hear if someone is giving you instructions. One of the race organizers or volunteers made a point to talk to everyone, it seemed, and ask what they thought of the course. That's a nice personal touch.

Good points:

* The marathon seemed to be measured correctly.
* Plenty of water along the course.
* Nice T-shirt included with the registration.

Bad points:

* It was like running 26.2 on a go-cart track (except narrower).
* Goodie bag items. (Holiday Bear, handheld maze game - did someone play ski-ball the night before and give you these items?)
* What was with the Dallas Cowboy coffee cup at the end of the marathon? Are we not in Kansas City anymore?

I ran the full marathon last November and just the half this year. Although the level of organization had improved from last year, I am still not very impressed and will not be doing this race again. Although the 30-minute start delay last year was reduced to only a 15-minute delay, it was still very cold and was not the best way to start the race. Basically, you run one way and then turn around and come back, which would not be a problem except the trail is narrow and has a lot of steep hills and sharp turns and people were literally running into each other and having to run off the side of the trail. Also, the mile markers seemed a bit off - I completely missed some of them, and there were several that were duplicated. I hope they restocked the food table for the full marathoners because it was pretty depleted after the half marathon - however this was better than last year when we could not even find the food.

Good points were: Lots of professional photographers along the way, a beautiful day weather-wise, it was nice to receive Propel water and energy Gu after the race, and the addition of the After Bash awards ceremony is a good idea. Next year, I would also suggest altering the method of packet pick-up as I waited in line for close to an hour and fifteen minutes to receive my packet the day before. The organization has improved, but it still needs work - maybe next year it will all get pulled together, but I doubt I'll be there to participate.... Sorry to be negative!

I've hit the Gobbler a couple of times - it's a perfectly fine smalltime race with a smalltime entry fee. If you're looking for Chicago, it's about 425 miles Northeast of here. Don't come to the Gobbler and expect Chicago.

The basics are covered here, with no frills. Plenty o' water and Gatorade. Pack your own gel, like you should for any race. The after race snacks are probably closer to the finish line than they are at Chicago, Grandma's, etc. (I can't believe people are griping about after-race snacks being a 30 second walk away instead of a 2 second walk away.)

Weather is hit or miss. Every time I run this, it sleets. I'm running it this year, so factor that into your travel plans. I bring sleet with me.

If you see a spectator, they are accidentally there and probably don't realize you're racing. If you want spectators, cheerleaders, bands, Elvis impersonators, jugglers, men in drag, hashers providing beer, costumed superheroes, and Chinese dancers, please mapquest 'Chicago, IL' and skip the Gobbler. If you just want a nice small mary on a flat course surrounded by primarily a small group of other diehard runners, then you will enjoy the Gobbler.

See ya in November.

The course was basically flat with minimal hills. Water/Gatorade were provided every mile & a half or so and a zombie with A.D.D. could navigate the course. Post-event refreshments were plenty and in plain sight for all except the blind to see. The pre-race DJ was horrendous and the race started late. Other than that, I feel the negative comments posted on this site had to come from those who are used to having an event coordinator wipe the sweat from their brow every quarter mile. If you're not a pansy, you'll enjoy this race.

I've run 61 marathons and many 1/2 marathons and have run the 1/2 marathon of this event twice now - AVOID this race at all costs. It is the worst i've ever participated in. There's no communication, the course is poorly marked, the course is crowded, and if you can find the nutrition after the race you have very special talents. My advice: locate a marathon somewhere else where the race director actually cares about the event...

I ran this race and was the male overall winner. I was promised an award along with shoes and other awards that to this date I have not received. Not only that, the race was very poorly organized, starting very late and was a long course. The course was ridiculous, consisting of several 270-degree turns, sharp ramps to run up and down and a few turnabouts. There was little or no support for runners after the race. The one redeeming quality was the good volunteers and the massage therapist afterward once I found her.

In short -- I WILL NOT RUN THIS AGAIN!

This was my first time doing the Gobbler Grind Marathon. I wanted to do a marathon after my 50th birthday, and this one was close to home. It was bad starting half an hour late, hard to run on narrow course with half-marathoners, I injured my IT band (I believe because of the steep inclines and turns), and I started to run the wrong way, even when I asked a volunteer which way to go. I finished first in my age group and received a blank medal and a small water bottle? And was the course longer when 26.2? Would like to know.

No signs posted about post-race snacks. Runners had to fend for themselves or locate snacks after running a half or full marathon as if when you are fatigued you want to go around asking people where the snacks or drinks are. I just want them to be present at the finish. The course was crowded as there was not enough room for passing with people running in groups of 5 across.

Overall, this was a good fall marathon, close to home. This was my second marathon in two months. I am questioning the distance of the 26.2 miles, especially in the last half. My GPS had the overall course at 26.95 miles. As we were at the 24 mile course marker, our time was 3:41. We were running at a 8:45 pace which would have put us under 4 hours. We finished at a 4:03. This needs to be evaluated and confirmed.

The late start was inexcusable as we stood out in cold weather. However, on a positve note, the aid stations and volunteers were incredible and better than in any race I have run in. Will probably run again.