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Apr 29, 2024

Illinois Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.5

Organization 4.5

Spectators 4.5

Number of comments: 167 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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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.
L. W. from Saint Louis, MO (5/8/2011) "They have a 95% Solution" (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall a well done marathon. The volunteers and local community make this a race worthy of your consideration. I didn't run into the congestion in Meadowbrook that others have mentioned but it makes sense that the faster half-marathoners were catching up to the slower marathoners at that point in the course. The end of the race (in the stadium) is a complete disaster. Friends/family are not allowed on the field to cheer you on in the final moments. Like all stadium finishes you have to climb a flight of stairs to get to the food. By the time the marathoners are getting done the food is slim pickings and the lines are clogged with half-marathoners. Bag pick-up in the food area made for more frustrations/congestion. I think this marathon is almost there. The organizers need to focus on the Meadowbrook park issue. And they need to look hard at the logistics of the post-race food and checked bag pick-up. The course is flat with a slight hill at 24. A windy day in 2011 but I don't feel it had too much affect on my finishing time. Plenty of water/Gatorade and gels on the course. There are several hotels within walking distance of the start but I would book early!! If the race organizers put in place a plan to vastly improve the end of race issues I would consider returning to the race. But at this point, I will look elsewhere for my Spring marathon.
L. J. from St. Louis, MO (5/7/2011) "Flat, friendly marathon" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First of all, this is a small-town marathon, so it will never have the crowd support of NYC, Boston, or Chicago. However, if you're ok with running a smaller marathon, I highly recommend this race. The course is FLAT and a great place to PR. I ran with a pace group the whole way and qualified for Boston. I ran the half marathon in 2009 and 2010 and did the full marathon this year in 2011. I've had great experiences every year. The weather this year was perfect - low 50s at the start and mid 60s at the finish. The half marathon is definitely the largest event, with only 3,000 marathoners and 7,000 half marathoners. This year the marathon started at 7 and the half marathon started at 7:30. As a marathoner, I appreciated starting before the half marathoners to avoid being cramped for the first 12 miles, but I understand that the faster half marathoners caught up with the slower marathoners around miles 6-7 on the narrow paths of the park, so I expect they will make changes regarding the marathon/half marathon start times next year. Course: The course is extremely flat, an excellent course for a PR. The parts through campus are really fun, and the residential neighborhoods are very pretty. Aid stations were every 1.5-2 miles, and there were 4 GU stations. Finishing in Memorial Stadium is awesome! Spectators: The volunteers/fans are very supportive and friendly. Many local residents set up mini aid/cheer stations in their driveways and handed out fruit and water. However, the spectators thin out through the neighborhoods in the later part of the course. There were runners around me the entire way, but it did thin out in the later miles. Pasta dinner: The pasta dinner was delicious and very reasonably priced at $12/ticket. They have great speakers at the pasta dinner every year. This year I got to hear running legend Frank Shorter speak. In past years I've met Bart Yasso and Dick Beardsley at the Illinois Marathon pasta dinners. Organization: The race weekend was a great experience. Race organizers sent monthly newsletters and posted weekly podcasts online answering runners questions. Runners/spectators got free bagels and coffee the morning of the race, which was a nice touch. I love that runners can use the Assembly Hall next to the start line to wait inside before the race and use real bathrooms (there were plenty of porta-potties outside too, though). The post-race shower pass was much appreciated.

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