The last loop on 20 mile course was not fun as it went away from the finish. I preferred last years 20 course. Still a great race. I've done all 3 years. The pacers were great as was the volunteers

My new favorite race! Awesome course! well-organized, perfect amount of participants and just a ton of fun!

Overall a great course, well-marked and well-supported and marshalled. A bit too much of mini, twisting loops and the sections through narrow walkways a bit tight if slower runners ahead of you. The path should be marked at entry points where bikers enter course during the race that they are to yield to runners. Last - logistics with parking need to be rectified. There was long line of vehicles heading into the parking garage that was already filled to capacity. Was difficult to get out and had to park elsewhere far away, then hectic scramble to get to the corrals minutes before the start. Garage should be monitored and closed when it is filled to capacity.

I ran this marathon in 2012 and was incredibly pleased with the overall experience. Although I did not have my best run (personally), every other aspect was nearly perfect.

The pros:
~Packet pickup was easy to get to
~Volunteers were extremely helpful and enthusiastic
~Plenty of parking on race day
~Great online guides
~Easy to access multiple points of the course (for spectators - I probably saw my husband at least 6 or 7 times along the course)
~Lots of shade
~No shortage of aid stations
~Great alternative to a bigger fall marathon like Chicago.
~Lots of porta-potties! I didn't even have to wait in a line!
~If you didn't want to do the full marathon, you could run the 20 miler (in prep for Chicago) or the half marathon. There is a 'weather-flex' option where you do not commit to the race you are registering for.

Cons:
~On the course, there were a couple of bottlenecks - early on, we were running 3-4 abreast and there were cars RIGHT next to us, and once we were going single file up a ramp
~The course is relatively flat - one of the flattest courses I've run, but there were still a couple of tricky hills. A truly flat course = Chicago.

Every detail was attended to; no wonder this race has sold out every year! Keep up the GREAT work, Fox Valley Marathon! I will be back!

Loved that I could drive up and park for free and walk two blocks to the start. Extremely well organized race on a beautiful course. I'd recommend this one to anyone!

This was my second year running the marathon, and once again I was not disappointed at all!! It was very organized! The spectators were awesome gave me the energy to keep running, and the volunteers were awesome!! I also want to give a big thank you to pacer 8:35 for keeping me motivated and helping me reach my marathon finish goal!!

I live in the area and even though i did not know what to expect of running a marathon on the trail i run a couple of times week, i really enjoyed it, my cheering crew was able to find me about 10 times, which was great, and the volunteers were awesome!

This is a race that I will DEFINITELY be attending again in the future. The course was exceptionally well-marked, their were ample water tables, and PLENTY of port-a-potties. The scenery was beautiful, the volunteers were incredibly motivating, and it was definitely the best race that I have ever participated in!

This was a very well organized and planned event. From the training runs, to the newsletters, to the organization on race day. I am so happy I chose the Fox Valley Marathon series for my first half marathon!

The 2012 Fox Valley Marathon was my first race ever. I was very nervous and had no idea what to expect but the staff/volunteers made everything so easy, except for the actual running! The organization of the event was great and everyone cheering got me through some tough areas when I thought Id never finish. Thank you to everyone who made this event so great! See you next year.