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Lakeshore Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Lakeshore Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 1.8 
Spectators 2.7
Number of comments: 209 [displaying comments 191 to 201]
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Bob Wood from Whitesboro, NY
(4/23/2002)
 "This was an absolutely great marathon!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This marathon was a very scenic course. Running along with Lake Michigan waves pounding on one side, and the beautiful Chicago skyline on the other - What a contrast! The weather was not the greatest - about 40 degrees, 20-30 mph winds, waves splashing at you while you are running, but nobody can change that. There weren't many mile markers - a suggestion for next year. Spectator support will probably be better as the race becomes more known - this was the first year. I hope to come back every year and see how this race progresses. Definitely recommended for adventure seekers! Nice job, race organizers! | |
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Brian Lantzy from Oshkosh, Wisconsin
(4/23/2002)
 "My 1st marathon and I had a blast!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I have to say that unlike some of the others that have written in, I thought that the course was great and the stairs and 5' jump added a little adventure to the run. Personally, I loved running through all of the different terrains. The volunteers were great, everyone was so motivating and inspirational. I have to admit that my highlight was the guy on the bike who was inspiring me through those last 5 miles, it was great. Overall, I had an amazing time and I thank everyone who made this marathon possible. I will definitely be there next year! | |
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A Runner from West Hartford, CT
(4/23/2002)
 "If unique is what you seek!?" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The wind, the cold, the spray of the Lake Michigan waves in your face, repelling down the wall at mile 16? I actually enjoyed all of the above... at times like these you know you are alive. Can't imagine the amount of work that goes into organizing any marathon so please take what follows as constructive critique. Next time have mile markers and make sure they are easily seen. Have someone at mile one yelling out the time so runners can make adjustments. Also, if you have to jump 5' down a wall to get onto the next path let runners know ahead of time and have a volunteer or two to assist (if needed). I know we as runners sign a waiver, but if anyone got injured from this you may face grounds for a lawsuit. I've run trail marathons, but people have a clear understanding from these waivers and pre-race communications as to what they're getting into. Other then that... thanks for the memories, and your volunteers, who were fantastic! | |
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KenO from Colorado from Colorado Springs
(4/23/2002)
 "'Chicago, my kind of town...'" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The ?raw? Chicago weather conditions made this our most challenging marathon so far. The change in cold temperatures and gusty winds forced my wife and I to scramble for knit caps and gloves at a local sporting store. We agreed this was one of the most scenic marathons we?ve done so far (11). Lake Michigan, beaches, watch tower, city buildings were spectacular. The volunteer support was very nice. I remember one dude on a bicycle along a 3 mile stretch of my run providing timely words of encouragement. And the lady about 25 stories up in a high rise waving was very uplifting near the end. A few waves from Lake Michigan got your shoes a bit damp and most of the mile markers I guess blew away due to the gusty winds. The weather made this marathon a definite character builder! The Sheraton as the host hotel was a nice touch. It made for convenient packet pickup and perfect location for the Navy Pier and nearby restaurants. The 1 mile stroll down Columbus Avenue from the hotel to the start/finish line also made for a nice warm up before and a great stretch after the run. | |
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A Runner from U.S.
(4/23/2002)
"Felt like a cross country race." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The course was tough. I never thought that people would have to climb onto a five foot wall and then jump off that same five foot wall, and into mud and water nonetheless! The weather was bad enough! There also were no mile markers. I think I saw 5 of them. The expo had maybe 6 booths? No clothing or shoe items available. The sponsoring Sheraton hotel was lousy too. No valet parking and you had to pay for parking. Not what you expect for $185 a night. | |
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A Runner from Crystal Lake, Illinois
(4/22/2002)
 "Great Idea, Poor Execution" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and the idea of having a marathon that runs along the lakeshore in Chicago is wonderful. The views of the museums, Navy Pier, and the Chicago skyline is breathtaking. The people that came out to support the runners and to volunteer to man the aid stations should also have been given medals.The other positive thing about the marathon were the medals, very nice. The problems: -- The course. Except for the view (and who is really looking at the scenery when running a marathon) the course was awful. Part was run in a muddy construction zone, but the majority was on concrete. At about the 4th or 5th mile we were running along a concrete wall about 30 feet from the lake. A wave from came crashing on the path and quite a few of us ended up with drenched shoes. At times we were running on 2 foot high concrete walls and then had to jump down 4 feet. -- The weather. It rained early in the morning, but for the most part was done by the start of the race. The winds seemed to constantly be in our faces. Though the weather was not controllable more foresight should have been given to the course in case of this type of weather, with winds of over 20 mph. -- The only mile markers I saw were a 10k and 13.1. -- The expo consisted of about 10 booths, with good info at 2-3. | |
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A Runner from Goodrich,Michigan
(4/22/2002)
 "Great idea, poor planning" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I think a spring marathon in Chicago could be great. This was not. The course was not runner friendly. At one point we were forced to jump off a wall and run through a half mile of mud. There were also stairs to climb to avoid the waves that were crashing on the course. The volunteers, though supportive, were too few and not well informed. There were only four mile markers on the entire course and none of the volunteers had any idea where they were on the course. | |
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A Runner from new york
(4/22/2002)
"it can only get better" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Setting up a new marathon is always a challenge. Nevertheless, there's no excuse for not replying to registrants with questions: e-mails, voice messages were ignored. The very static web page was basically the only location to get any information prior to the race and no other running publication made a fuss about it so i took the risk anyway. On race day, the weather was brutal. That's just bad luck. The people/volonteers at the start/finish and throughout the course were EXCELLENT motivators. A big, big compliment to them. It had plenty of water stations, but only 3 or 4 porta-pots... no problem for the guys, but women actually had to stand in line and lose time On saturday, I asked the organizers at the expo how many restrooms there would be, and I was assured that they were placed throughout the course and that the beach houses were open too [NOT true]. Parts of the course close too the shore were dangerous [especially with those weather conditions] and would have been hardly accessible for emergency cases. The selling point of 'the most scenic marathon' is questionable... there are tons of other scenic marathons on this planet. It should be called 'the windiest marathon'. Would I run the lakeshore marathon again? Yes, with better weather.... and only, if the lakeshore-team builds a REAL interactive report with the participants, so we know they care... and where was the media coverage on monday? No paper in Chicago had written a word about it. The race-team didn't even post the results/a few words on www.marathonguide.com - THE source for every marathoner - on the page for 'weekend results'. On their own site, there was no article about the race either, just the results. Obviously they have to learn how to work with the media professionally. After all, every marathon deserve a big, loud and cheerful frenzy around it! | |
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A Runner from St. Louis, MO
(4/22/2002)
"Great course - When it is all finished" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Course was neat, but needs to be completed. Felt like I needed my hiking boots in some sections (though the weather was a factor). More mile markers would have been appreciated. | |
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A Runner from Chesterton, Indiana
(4/22/2002)
"Very disappointing from the expo to the finish" (General Comments)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The expo was very lame and the last question I asked of one of the top organizers was 'Will every mile be marked?' They assured me they would. I saw only four posted miles and one was mile 26. Who cares by then. There was a point that after running through mud for about 1/2 mile we had to climb up on a wall and jump down 4 to 5 feet. I had to ask race volunteers numerous times where we were on the course and at one point someone told me 20ish. It was impossible to know your pace. We were told at one point we were defintely at mile 23 and in reality it was just over 22. I went to this race to try to qualify for Boston and they cannot be held responsible for the weather which was awful...however we were in contact with the director many times over the past few months and he assured us this was going to be a well run event. It wasn't! I saw all the mile markers we so needed piled by a tent after I finished the race. It may be a scenic course but not worth the price paid to run it. |
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