I had a great time at the Illinois Marathon. The course was nice and flat and finished in the Illini Stadium which was really cool. The organization was great and the town really seemed to embrace the event. If you are looking for a small spring marathon in the Midwest, I highly recommend this one. Only two very minor issues 1) more potties near the start line - the line was really long right before the full marathon start so people were freaking out and 2) the marathon relay runners were a problem at the end of the race - after running 26 hard miles and trying to finish strong, having to dodge team tye die giving each other high fives while still on the course was a bit of an annoyance. As the race evolves the organizers should think about doing away with the relay runners. All in all I hope this race continues to grow and thanks to those who obviously put a great deal of effort into organization and planning.

Positives
Great flat course that is somewhat scenic. If you like turns, this course has lots of them which did make running against the wind somewhat easier because there were not long stretches.
Plenty of start line parking, especially for marathoners who had the earlier start
Nice to open up assembly hall for warmth and bathrooms before race start
Loved the separate start for marathoners to relieve congestions
Pretty cool weather but VERY windy
Great water stations and adequate crowd support
Nice finishing in the stadium


Negatives
Long lines at pasta feed need more serving tables
Expo was not exciting
Finish line area very busy as fulls and halfs finished together separate chutes would've been preferred

OVERALL, great race with only small complaints. This is a PR type of course if you hit nice weather, but beware of wind and consider running with a pace group to shield yourself. I did and ran a PR of sub 3:10!

This was my first Illinois Marathon, and by far the most enjoyable of my 9 to date. Organizers ran a solid race. Crowd support was smallish, but very enthusiastic. Finishing in the stadium was great. Unlike the other 2 comments posted thus far, I really liked that the half marathoners started 30 minutes behind. I ran an even 8 min./mile pace, and never encountered the half marathoners, as the course splits at mile 11. I think on balance, starting the half marathoners 30 minutes back allows the faster marathoners to have a better start, and avoids the crowding at pinch points like Meadowbrook Park. Toughest part of the race this year was the wind - 30-40 mph at the end as we headed south. Otherwise, course was good, and the pacer I ran with (Rich) was fantastic. I'd recommend this race to anyone in the midwest looking for a fun, fast race.

This was my first time running this race. I had planned to run the full but had to scale back to the half due to some injuries. I really like everything about the race except the different start times for full and half people. I really wanted to start with all my marathon friends and run part of the course with them. Fan support was AWESOME! I plan to return to do the full next year.

The support and organization of this marathon makes it my favorite marathon to date: incredibly flat; lots of turns to make it interesting; plenty of aid at stations; wonderful all around. My only suggestion is to keep your eye on the road... Champaign needs some better road work.

This race is incredibly well organized. Champaign/Urbana residents are SO nice and helpful and really get into the weekend marathon events. There are so many smiling volunteers, and it seems like the whole town comes out to cheer for the runners. Many spectators set up their own water/candy/fruit stations in their driveways.

The course is VERY flat and a wonderful place to PR. I highly recommend this marathon for runners trying to qualify for Boston. Although other races like Chicago are also flat, Champaign is nice since it's flat and not as crowded as bigger races. There's still plenty of runners around you, and I was never by myself at any point during the race. It was so nice not to be tripping over other runners and getting slowed down at the start by trying to fight the crowds. There were plenty of water/gatorade stations (every 1.5-2 miles or so), 4 GU stations, and many bands on the course. The weather for the 2011 race was great- low 50s at the start and mid 60s at the finish. They have lots of pace teams, and I was able to qualify for Boston and PR by 17 minutes!

Also, there are plenty of bathrooms at this race! Before the race, runners can use the university basketball arena at the start line to get out of the cold and use real bathrooms, not porta-potties. There were also plenty of porta-potties by the start line and along the course.

The race was very runner&spectator friendly. Runners and spectators received free bagels and coffee on the morning of the race, which was a nice touch. And since the crowds aren't crazy like larger marathons, I had no problem seeing my family&friends at 5-6 points during the race, whereas at larger races it can be hard to spot people in the crowds.

The expo was beautifully done, and runners got a nice technical shirt. The pasta dinner was excellent and very reasonably priced at $12/ticket, plus I got to hear Frank Shorter speak at the dinner, which was awesome. Finishing in Memorial stadium and hearing my name announced over the loudspeakers as I ran through the stadium was very exciting. Plus, runners can shower and change at the gym next to the finish line, which was great.

Overall, I can't say enough good things about this race! I will definitely do it again!

This was my second Illinois Marathon and it did not disappoint. The Champaign-Urbana communities are highly supportive and the RD stages a well organized and competitive running event. The logistics are easy and straightforward, volunteers are helpful and race day resources are plentiful and well stocked. The decision to hold separate starts for the marathon and half marathon was great and greatly improved the start congestion from 2010. And the earlier start for the marathon was right on. Thanks C-U and I'll see you again next year.

I ran this race in 2009 and again this year, and I highly recommend it. There were some course changes from the inaugural race, and I think it worked out very well. It's a flat and fast course. The hotels do not gouge you, and EVERYONE I spoke to was cheerful and interested in making sure it was a good experience for the runners. As a back or the packer, I appreciated that there was no shortage of fluids or support at the end. The ability to take post-race showers at the ARC was very convenient. Everything from the expo to the finish line celebration was well organized. I will be back.

Great marathon. However, they need a different solution for the half marathoners! I felt so bad for the faster ones catching up to us while we were on a part of the course that is congested with just the marathoners and relayers. Starting together is a better solution than this - at least people are with others of their same pace, not running upon those of us running much slower. Still, a great race for the marathoners; it was well organized, FLAT (though windy this year), and fun. The only other thing I would like, if they will not move the race back to earlier in April like the inaugural year, is if they would start the marathon an hour earlier to escape the later heat we have had in two recent years. I would still run again.

I will readily admit that I am a back-of-the-pack marathoner. I really like the fact that they keep the finish line open, while being nice to the people of Champaign by not keeping the roads closed for just a few of the slower runners. One change that was made to the race organization was to move the start time for the half marathon to 30 minutes after the start of the marathon. This created a problem for the slow marathon runners, as we found ourselves in a traffic jam at Meadowbrook Park, one of the tightest areas of the race course. Perhaps reversing the Urbana loop of the course (like they apparently did with the course in 2009) would correct that, as this would place Meadowbrook earlier on the marathon route, with the slow marathoners avoiding much of the half marathon traffic until after this point. As far as the fans are concerned, they were some of the most enthusiastic fans (and I'll include the volunteers in this as well) that I have ever seen in an endurance race. I will also give a good point to the marathon committee for moving the 5K to Friday night, allowing for a special medal in the I-Challenge, for running the 5K on Friday and either the half or full marathon on Saturday. Overall, a great race for those interested in running a marathon in Illinois.