This was a scenic marathon course along the Fox River Trail. I participated in one of the free build up training runs that took place on the actual course.This race was well organized,with alot of volunteers, a mostly flat course, plenty of water,gatorade and gels, great race! I will do it again!

Everything about this race is top-notch, from the pre-race information, the race-day volunteers, the pacers, the course, and the post-race amenities. The only thing that leaves a negative impression in the race is the runners who litter their spent Gu Energy Gel packets. It galls me that they are strong enough to run a marathon carrying Gu packs when they're 4 ounces full, but when they weigh less than 4 ounces, the runners can't seem to carry them anymore. The trash gives all runners a bad name. Personally, I would like to ban this product and any that would leave similar litter but that's not possible. I fear education is not the key. Some people are just slobs. Sad.

Hands down my favorite race in the burbs. So friendly and inviting, for all level of runners (not to mention affordable) Course is great, flat, beautiful, fast moving!!! My family and friends will be back for many more!!

The course was touted as flat, fast and shaded and 2 out of 3 ain't bad. My GF and I spoke to the race director the night before the race and found out there would be quite a bit of short (some steep) hills on the course.

I'm so glad we spoke to him, because he didn't lie and we weren't surprised, though some of the guys I ran along side of, were surprised.

This entire event was extremely well coordinated and the staff/volunteers were very helpful. All of the other runners I spoke to were also impressed with this small towns race organization.

This is really a very organized race. The course is gorgeous, the volunteers and spectators all rocked. The organizers really made you feel that you were part of something, offering free training runs, a kids marathon, and other events throughout the training period. Spectators can spot you easily at multiple locations on the course and they can even run you into the finish line. You just can't get that experience at the larger races.

This race is organized to the nth degree, everyone from the top down was super friendly. I ran a 3:40 20 miler & the volunteers were still pumped, supportive & fun. Fellow runners were supportive, course is beautiful, hydration stations...more than in any race ever! I'll run this year after year, for sure, and I'm definitely encouraging others to run it with me (or the 1/2 or full). In my top 3 most fun races ever!

Best run race I've run. Weatherflex is an awesome feature, course is beautiful and well marked - water stations fully stocked and staffed and at the right intervals. Well done, FVM!

I have run many races and this was without the doubt the best race. The volunteers, crowd support, the start and finish. Everything was top notch. Ran the Fall Final 20, so that I can run the Chicago Marathon in 3 weeks. Next year I am running this as my marathon.

I loved this race, as it was well organized and an intimate setting in one of the most gorgeous areas west of the city.

I think this is a beautiful race. It's scenic and it's well organized. However, there is a bit of it that is a down and back course down a bike path through what i think is a nature preserve. The path can get narrow and congested.. And at times, it can also get lonely; depending on how you run, or don't run with a pack. I timed my run to keep with a pace group for the first half and then break away to run ahead of them for the second half. I was super lonely, with almost no spectators and very few other runners, for the second half. The course is pretty. The volunteers are great. The aid stations are plentiful. There was one 'carb' station that handed out clif shots which was nice. I don't care about the expo and the race village at these races, so for me, the size of that stuff is inconsequential. If the race is well run, that is all that matters, and it was.

I think this is a fairly quick course. It is a little hilly (if you are from Illinois and especially downstate) but not terribly so. If i had not injured myself 3/4 of the way through and been forced to slow way down, i would have finished this marathon quite a bit faster than i had previous races on comparable courses. It has a lot of downhill for all it's up, which is a nice trade off.

My only bit of constructive criticism is that parts of this race were run on a bike path, and the bike path was apparently not closed off to bikers. There were several times i looked up from zoning out, as one might do on a 26 mile run, to see a biker bearing down on me, shouting for me to get out of his way. (sorry, man, I'm just running a marathon! Didn't mean to inconvenience you. I paid to run this course.) There were obviously street closures for this race.

Could the bike path not have been closed as well? Aside from that there were obvious street construction issues, but i think that the race directors did all they could to avoid that issue. Bikers, though, could really hurt someone, and a lot of them were pretty rude about the 3000 people running on 'their' bike paths; or simply just weaved in and out of runners. This totally made for some dangerous situations.