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☰
Illinois Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Illinois Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 4.5
Number of comments: 168 [displaying comments 151 to 161]
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O. S. from Illinois
(4/12/2009)
 "Good course, very well organized, very friendly" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I would do it again. It was a nice size, and had a flat course. I would never have known it was their first. There was plenty of parking, and I liked the access to BR at Assembly Hall and the stadium. | |
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Joe Ely from Indiana
(4/12/2009)
"Well-Run Inaugural Marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I enjoyed this race. The course was pleasant, going mostly through residential and U of Illinois areas. I was very pleased with the numbers and the enthusiasm of the crowds... the town really turned out wonderfully. Even for the marathon portion of the course, when many times there are a lot fewer fans... this one was good. The finish was very nice as well, and running down the ramp onto the U of I football field for 180 yards to the finish line was a neat way to end the race. The medal was very nice. The shirt (navy blue tech shirt, half zip with minimal advertising on it) was the best shirt I've ever had in any race. I'll use it for many years to come. Nice! Considering that this was the first time for this race, with 7,000 in the half and 2,000 in the full marathon, I think the organizers did a very good job. I have only a couple of technical suggestions for future consideration. First, make the mile marker signs taller. They were about shoulder height or so, and if you were on the opposite side of the street, you couldn't see them too well. Second, the practice of handing out full bottles of water (20 ounces each) at water stops. It is more water than most want at a single stop, and I sure saw lots and lots and lots of plastic bottles strewn around for a half-mile or so after each stop. I hope this race can continue. It fills a nice niche in the spring schedule here in the Midwest. The course is flat and very accessible. Thanks for a great start to what I hope is a good tradition!!! | |
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M. C. from Chicago
(4/12/2009)
 "Great start, due to support from volunteers" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 It's a flat course in a windy area at a windy time of year. Volunteers made this event happen by providing their time, which included hours of traffic control. I liked the bottled water and it was neat to stretch on the warm prescription turf at the finish. One complaint: please reposition the porta-potties as the doors were opening out toward the narrow course. | |
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Don Pattison from Northwest suburb of Chicago
(4/12/2009)
"It looked like the whole town got involved" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 For a first-time race, they did everything right. They had everything organized very well, and the course was flat and fast. The pace teams were out there to assist. The placement of the water/Gatorade stations were just what a long distance runner looks for, every 2 to 2.25 miles until mile 20 and then every mile for the last 6 miles. Just right. The medal was very nice with a spinner shaped like the state of Illinois. The speakers at the pasta dinner were very interesting and there was a nice slide show. | |
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M. M. from Illinois
(4/12/2009)
"Very impressive for a first-time marathon" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Course was very nice and well organized. Volunteers were plentiful and did a great job of guiding traffic, getting fluids to the runners, etc. Finishing on the 50 yard-line made for a very nice feeling. The fans were pretty good and plentiful through most of the course, though they could have been a little more enthusiastic. Two recommendations for improvement: 1) The porta-potties at the start should have doors facing away from the starting area so the lines are easier to tell. 2) Have another opening from the field up to the food, so it doesn't get as congested. All in all, I was very impressed with the race, especially for its inaugural time out. | |
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Mark Berry from Omaha, NE
(4/12/2009)
"A spectacular inaugural event" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I didn't run the full, but rather the half-marathon. With common starts, courses (at least the first 10 miles) and finishes, I'll reserve my comments to what was common. From packet pick-up to start to departure, parking and access to key areas was very good. Organizers provided clear directions, parking was readily accessible and traffic was manageable, even on race morning. The race started on time and - at least through the first 10 miles of the marathon course - there were lots of spectators, more than sufficient volunteers, and well-apportioned water stations (bottled water - great idea!). The course - although flat and fast - was not at all monotonous as race organizers set it up to weave throughout the Champaign-Urbana "twin communities." The finish - surely one of the most spectacular of any half or full marathon (and - I believe - one that will become the standard for future races in major college communities) - ended in Memorial Stadium, home of the Fighting Illini. Runners entered the stadium through a tunnel at the south end, coming onto the field for a partial lap, before ending the race in a sprint from the north end zone to the 50 yard line (did I mention the thousands of cheering spectators and runners?). Medals (very cool, with actually moving parts) were distributed and water was readily available. There were two "glitches" in what was otherwise an exceptionally well-staged event. First, after the race, runners were left to fend for themselves in finding their bags and food, in an area of the stadium - away from the finish - completely insufficient for the number of runners needing access to this area. I tried my best to find a volunteer at the finish who could direct me to food and bag pickup without success; in the end, I resorted to asking other runners. Second, organizers need to consider how to segregate runners and walkers - at the finish, runners were impeded by 5K, half and full walkers who - seemingly oblivious to the fact that a race was in progress - walked 3, 4 or 5 abreast toward the chute. A third change I would ask organizers to consider is the starting "gun" (use a starter's gun, not an announcer saying "Go!"). In total - to me, at least - this was only a minor distraction to an otherwise exceptionally staged race. | |
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M. S. from Champaign, IL
(4/12/2009)
"Awesome!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a truly fantastic course (I may be biased because I'm from Champaign)!! It's nice and flat and there were fans every step of the way. There is no out-and-back section, which always is a plus in my book. Finishing on the 50-yard line of Memorial Stadium is a real treat as well! This would be the perfect marathon for a first-timer or someone who wants to break a PR! Great job! | |
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S. T. from Decatur, IL
(4/12/2009)
 "Good course; poor organizational decisions" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The course was nice and the weather was perfect. The fans were somewhat limited but very energetic. There were many odd decisions made organizationally: At the start the porta-potties lined the start corral, with the doors facing in towards the runners in the corral so that no one could get in or out. There were long lines for everything. You had to stand in line to check your bag. At the finish line there was only water until you stood in a very long line, walking up stadium steps to get your bag back and maybe get some refreshments. There was nearly unlimited room on the field at the finish but the organizers choose to make everyone wait (and climb stairs) to hang out in a crowded hallway inside. A couple of aid stations that were supposed to have Gatorade had none. The organization of the aid stations was erratic - at some stations, the water and Gatorade were on the same side of the road, and at other stations, they were at opposite sides of the road with no warning ahead of time which side you needed to be on (a real problem at the first aid station when traffic was very heavy). I found the volunteers working the aid stations to be very enthusiastic. Porta-potties appeared reliably at every mile marker; there was no guessing where the next pit stop would be. | |
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S. S. from Normal
(4/12/2009)
"Well Organized; Great Volunteers; Best Medal Ever" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First, I LOVE that this is a Saturday marathon. PLEASE keep it on Saturday. Plenty of porta-johns at the start. Great sound system and instructions. Clear course markings. An unbelievable number of enthusiastically supportive volunteers throughout the course. An abundance of water, GU, Gatorade and other goodies throughout the course. Awe-inspiring finish inside Memorial Stadium. Best medal I've seen. For a back-of-the-packer like me to encounter fully stocked aid station, enthusiastic volunteers, and not be pushed off to the sidewalks, there has to be great organization. I hope this is the first of a long consecutive streak of annual Illinois Marathons for me. It's great to have a first-class new marathon like this so close to home. | |
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T. J. from Chicago area
(4/12/2009)
"A great marathon, although this was the first year" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Illinois Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The inaugural Illinois Marathon was an almost perfect race. The volunteers were numerous and enthusiastic. The course was a little more challenging than I thought it would be, mainly because of the sometimes fierce winds. It was a thrill to finish at the 50-yard-line at Memorial Stadium. The speakers at the pasta dinner the night before the race, Yasso and Beardsley, were fascinating and both really inspired the runners. Word got out that this race took two years to plan, and it showed! You should be there next year! |
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