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Apr 28, 2024

Illinois Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Illinois Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.5

Spectators 4.5

Number of comments: 167 [displaying comments 61 to 71]

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D. O. from Normal, IL (12/22/2010) "It is what it is." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Ran the half in '09, the full in '10. All in all, I thought the directors did a nice job addressing the issues for the inaugural race. Course: Pretty flat course with no real surprises. C/U is a typical Midwestern university town. It's pretty non-descript; not overly scenic but no blighted areas either. It is what it is - hardly the most memorable course you'll ever run. The finish inside Memorial Stadium is a nice perk, though. As others have mentioned, the part through Meadowbrook Park is very cramped and tight as it's relatively early in the race. If they plan on expanding participation in the future, they should consider reworking the course so that the park comes into play later in the race. Organization: Smooth process in picking up the race packet. However, I wish there were more vendors there. The only running store represented was the local outfit. It's a good store but it would have been nice to have had more choices. I didn't mind that they started the half and full after the 5K. Allowed the 5K people to clear out of the finishing area and parking lots sooner. They just miscalculated the time. Rather than starting the full 30 minutes later and then delaying 15 more minutes, just announce you're starting the full 45 minutes later. The one item I do believe they fell down on was the placement of early water stops. It was a humid day and the early stops needed to be well-manned and begin very early in the race. Neither was the case. The first stop was a bit over 2 miles in and it was poorly staffed, resulting in the stop quickly becoming overwhelmed. Meanwhile, later in the race, there were stops manned by some very energetic and involved folks. They should have been at the early stops where volume was highest. Also, the first stop should have been about a mile into the race to begin the in-race hydration process sooner. Spectators: Here's where C/U "gets it." The town understands there are many people coming in from out of town - staying in their hotels, eating at their restaurants, leaving dollars with their merchants - to run this race. The locals seems genuinely happy and excited about the race and fan support was solid throughout the course, with the possible exception of the park areas, which didn't have easy access for spectators. Even the college students offered decent support along the way (traditionally, college students in general aren't that jazzed to spend their Saturday morning watching a race). Nice job by the fans and residents of creating a positive environment. This has the makings of becoming a solid fixture on the spring Midwestern marathon calendar. If they decide to grow the race, they should change the course; but at its current size, it works.
T. S. from Naperville, IL (11/18/2010) "Very nice run!" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Only one thing was not perfect. At the starting area it would be helpful to spread out the corrals for a better start. The course was great, the fans were great and there was an amazing finish!
M. C. from Illinois (8/30/2010) "2009 > 2010, but I'm still holding out for 2011" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 2 Illinois Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I'm a University of Illinois student, and I was stoked for the event in 2009. It was my very first-ever race, and it went off so amazingly that I could not wait until 2010. The 2009 weather was perfect: sunny but cool and just breezy enough. There were some port-a-potty snafus, and the half marathon turnoff was a bit weird, but both of those issues were corrected for this year. In 2010, it rained until about 4:30/5 a.m. the morning of the race, and then the sun came out in full force. As a result, the day was muggy, humid, and is the very weather that makes me want to leave the state for good. It was a terrible day to run, and I don't think that the race directors were quite ready for that in terms of hydration or otherwise. The crowds at the beginning this year were bad (though word has it the 5K this year is going to be the night before the marathon, which is GOOD!). The race start just did not seem as organized this year. A 5K went ahead of everyone else, and that caused the marathon to start a bit later than scheduled. With the humidity rising that was a very bad thing. I realize there were a lot more people but surely this could have been worked out somehow. On aid stations: Why was there no more water when I got to the first one!? Additionally, I really, really wish aid stations had been increased to every mile at around the halfway mark. Miles 17-20 were largely in the sun, and much needed hydration was not present. The people at the aid stations were great, but I wish there had been more towards the end! On the finishing area: The medals this year just were not as cool. They were sort of ho-hum. Also, I wish that the food at the finish line had NOT been up a hundred stairs. I am convinced that whoever did that is a masochist, because making a long climb for cold pizza is about the last thing you want to do at the end of a marathon. Now that I've griped, I should mention the good points: There are VERY few portions of the race where there isn't somebody cheering for you, and I think the volunteers and community support are the very best thing about this race. It most definitely showcases the personality of people in Central Illinois. A lot of the race either goes through the UIUC campus (with a lot of students to cheer you on), or it goes through residential areas where the townspeople love to go sit in their front yards and make noise for the runners, which I find so helpful (though I must say I'm still a little baffled as to why so many people in Champaign-Urbana have cowbells lying around their houses...). The crowd support both years has been absolutely phenomenal. This year, when I felt like I was about ready to quit, some guy (who, bless his heart, was spraying us runners with a hose from his front yard) saw my Cubs hat and said, "You're almost there! Cubs fans never give up!" A LOT of people got their hoses out for the runners, which I find to be very touching. Anyhow, had the race been 2-3 weeks earlier in April like 2009, I think we would have all been perfectly okay. In Illinois, pretty much as soon as May hits you can never be too sure whether or not you're going to be baking on a given day, so scheduling it May 1st was not a good call. The race is in late April for 2011 (essentially the same weekend as 2010), and after 2010 I am very apprehensive about doing it again, but I'll give it one more go in hopes that my memories from 2009 will be restored.
N. S. from Atlanta, GA (6/1/2010) "Significantly worse than last year..." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Illinois Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my 21st marathon. I ran last year, and it was the best organized marathon I had ever run. This year, it was not nearly as good. First off, the date change: It was perfect in April; why move it to May? The fluids weren't as adequate, there were far fewer porta-johns, and the race STARTED LATE. Many other things made me regret the effort of coming up too, which is something I seldom say about a marathon. It wasn't an awful race, and perhaps if last year hadn't been so good I'd not have judged it so harshly, expectations and all. However, I will say I would not run Illinois again based on the 2010 race, despite checking it in my mind as an every-year race last year. However, if they move the race back to April, I will give it a chance because of the memory of 2009 and the hope that they will return back to that! (Also, the half marathon is NOT the marathon. So look at the reviews of the marathoners, not just those who run the half, and you'll see a pattern I think.)
M. K. from Champaign, IL (5/24/2010) "Fabulous" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Illinois Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I have run this marathon twice now and I thought the new course outline was so much better than last year's course. Unlike many, I'm happy the marathon got moved back a month and I think it was just a fluke that it was humid. I agree about the bottleneck in Meadowbrook Park - maybe only the full marathoners should run through it?? Finishing in Memorial Stadium is awesome!! It would be helpful to have runner tracking via the web or text messaging, especially because the marathon started late this year and some of my friends' families totally missed them running because they didn't know about the late start. Overall, this is a great marathon for both experienced and new runners, and it's amazingly well run for only its second year in operation!!
Don Pattison from Chicago, IL (5/21/2010) "Damn, it was hot and humid in 2010" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Illinois Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had run this race in 2009, and because it is flat and fast, I wanted to do it again. The guest speakers were great at the pasta dinner. The only problem was the weather, and the RD can't control that. It rained the night before, so it was humid and muggy at the start - and it then got sunny and even more humid. The only complaint I have is that they changed the type of medal from 2009. Last year they had a little spinner shaped like the state of Illinois (very cool), whereas this year the entire medal was shaped like the state of Illinois without a spinner. Sounds petty, but the 2009 medal was very cool. There were pizza and pasta and all sorts of food after the race that one could refuel on. Two GU stations along the course as well as water/Gatorade stops about every 2 miles, so there was plenty of hydration, and we needed it. I enjoy this course because it is as flat as Chicago with about 38,000 fewer runners.
R. B. from St. Louis, MO (5/15/2010) "This was a great marathon experience." (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 For a race that is only in its second year, the organizers should be credited with putting together an outstanding event. It already enjoys great community support and many friendly people. I plan to return next year but would like to see just a few minor changes: 1. Please do a much better job of ensuring that half marathon walkers are positioned in the rear of the pack at the start line. Far too many of them were up near the front and caused a great deal of unnecessary congestion and slow starts for marathoners looking for a PR or Boston qualifier. 2. Consider holding the 5K about 30 minutes later than the half and the marathon to eliminate congestion at the start area. 3. A few race clocks at specific mile markers would be much appreciated. 4. Stadium finish was great but consider having the family reunion area and post-race food on the same side of the stadium. 5. How about a return to an early- or mid-April event date? Great race; friendly people. I'll be there next year.
B. F. from Charleston, IL (5/14/2010) "Great Race - Good Size - Keep it Small" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The first water stop was out of water when I got there with the 3:45 pace group. Could have used more water hoses/spray/spritzers on the warm day. Otherwise, the course was great, and the volunteers awesome. The finish area was terrible... no cold drinks, a walk up the steps to the food, and i couldn't go back across the field to meet my family until I finished my food... so I just left it behind.
J. K. from Memphis, TN (5/12/2010) "Great Marathon! Flat Course. Fun City." (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Illinois Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Positives: Very fast and flat course. Tons of very enthusiastic spectators. The volunteers were wonderful. I loved finishing in the stadium. Cons: I missed the first water stop completely because no one was handing out water. It was just sitting on the table. But every stop after that was well marked and accessible. Gatorade should be available at every water stop. Post-race food and beverage were sorely lacking. No cold drinks available. If they could move this race back a month, it would be perfect. It was too hot and too humid, but I PR'd and got a BQ. I would definitely run this race again!
S. H. from Illinois (5/11/2010) "Poorly organized in terms of volunteers & fluids" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran the half marathon last year and the full this year, and I did notice some good changes - such as the set-up of porta-potties in start area. There were NO fluids available at the first water stop (I ran with the 4:10 pace group), and no Gatorade until Mile 7. Mile 7 is way too late in the race for mid-to-back-of-the-pack runners. That is the equivalent of making faster runners wait until Mile 14. I had to wait for drinks to be poured at several water stops and eventually had to accompany a friend (who was dehydrated) in an ambulance to the hospital. The management of the water stops was poor during the first half, although I was told things improved the second half. This was too late for my friend - he only made it to Mile 13. (He was released after 3 hours.) Given the warm and humid conditions, which can certainly happen in May, when runners have not had time to acclimate, the handling of the fluid situation was not good and potentially dangerous for runners.

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