Great course, great crowds! We both set PRs and had a great time!

The course is scenic and very flat. It was impossible to navigate the start and to drop off stuff at gear check due to crowds. Also, much of the race is one lane of the road due to spectators (there was an empty lane behind them and a side walk). The crowds are very supportive. Many runners did not seed themselves correctly.

This was my 5th Chicago Marathon. It's a great race and very exciting and scenic and all, but the organizers need to make changes to accomodate such a large crowd of runners and spectators.
Before the race, the claim check area was boxed in with people trying to get in and out. They should make it one way traffic through the tent and out the other side. In the race, the pack never thinned out and it was hard to manuver around slower runners. Several times, the course suddenly reduced to only two traffic lanes when four were always needed. The million spectators were very encouraging, but in many places, the line of fans kept closing in, leaving us only two lanes to run in. Any runners who needed to walk a bit were immediate hazards to other runners due to the narrow space. They need more designated spectator areas. My wife and two young girls spent 35 minutes waiting for the 'L' at Chinatown. Also at the end of the race it was a real zoo. Spectators should be roped off from the claim check area. And the 'Buckingham Fountain' reunite area is the dumbest idea ever. Imagine 35,000 runners and their families all trying to converge next to a fountain to reunite. There was no room to do anything but stand with your sweaty body pressed next to strangers hoping you'll find your family and friends in the mob. Grant park is huge and the Last Name: ABC signs could easily be spread throughout the park or people could be encouraged to pick their own tree or bush at which to meet family. A 100 yard walk to grass and space to sit would be a welcome trek. Overall, it's still a great race, but I'm going to look for a smaller marathon, so I'll enjoy my time with my family more.

No shuttle buses to the start of the race from hotels. Not enough toilets, no medical tents available after a 6.5 hr finish. We are the ones who needed it the most!

My second Chicago marathon, third overall. Excellant time both on the course and sight-seeing. The crowds were very supportive, even though it was rather cold and windy. The expo was again huge, the 'International show' of running...makes others expos look like a Saturday clinic at the mall! Only one complaint- they must figure a way to let the finishers get to the gear tent after exiting the shute...a major mess,then afer picking up your gear you must fight your way through that same mess to meet/reuion family at the fountain set-up on the other side...make other plans to re-unite...this system doesnt work! It almost seemed like some spectators didnt care about runners finishing 26.2, than trying to exit to finish area, I was knocked around in the sea of people...organizers...keep them back next year! Looking foward for 2003.

I ran the 2002 Chicago Marathon. This was my seventh marathon and I have run Boston and DC/Marine Corp marathons. Great crowds, on par with Boston/DC. The only bad thing I have to say about it is I think they should limit the number of runners. I encountered significant bottlenecks that a serious PR-seeker ought to consider. Plus, I think the numbers (37,000?) exceed even the best organization's ability to coordinate everything. Forget pre-race baggage check; couldn't find my pace group; the expo seemed in an out-of-the way place; and I had a hard time finding decent accomodations anywhere near the start/finish (although part of that is my fault, having waited until 2-3 months before race to make reservations). I hate to dwell on this one negative when there is so much positive to say about it, but I just think the excessive numbers made it impossible for organizers to pull off a really outstanding marathon experience. Excellent? Yes. Outstanding? No. Would I recommend it to others, yes, but hard-core PR seekers might do better at a smaller venue. I love the flat fast course but you have to consider the bottlenecks!!

Fast course - beautiful city - diverse sceanary - BUT ORGINIZERS PLEASE HEAR THIS, 'TOO MANY PEOPLE!!' While I was able to set a new PR, it took 7 miles weaving in and out of runners to get on pace; and the field didn't spread out till after mile 10. The starting area, Grant Park, is not big enough for 37,500 runners, spectators, family, or enough port-a-poties. Why the need to allow so many entries? I thought 29,000 in 2000 was too much. But in all fairness, it's well organized, it's a beautiful city, and the spectators are great. I've done 3 Chicago marathons and here's an 'insiders'' tip - if you're looking for a PR, it's possible; just line up way, way, way up front at the start.

I just wanted everyone to know that this race, although my first, would not be my last. The impression it left me with, has me already signing up for another run. The people, the team spirit, the city's energy- all made this one of my more memorable sporting events. Being a former college soccer player, I have been missing the energy of competitive sports since I quit 4 years ago. Well that's back now, and I am excited to come back to Chicago and improve on my time this year. Thanks for a great weekend, and for a great run.

For an out-of-towner, it was a breeze. Shuttled to/from the airport; subway to/from one great restaurant; walked to Navy Pier to another great restaurant; cab to a Blackhawks game. There is no shortage of fun things to do before and after the race.
The race is flat and beautiful along the lakeshore. Going through China town, Greek town and whatever the other ethnic areas are reminded me of Epcot in Disneyworld! At some points the crowds were downright deafening. There were at least 4 live bands.
As for the organization, I don't think they could have done a better job considering they had to accommodate 37,000 runners and all their friends and family at the finish. I will admit it was very crowded meeting up with people afterward, but they had all of Buckingham fountain organized by letter to help with the meeting-up process. Signs were plentiful, large, and high enough to easily see.
I would run it again in a heartbeat. p.s. I ran my PB of 4:15:50!!!

The organization, course and crowds are first rate. It is a wonderful experience.

I'll limit my comments to the perception that Chicago is the place to go for a PR or a Boston qualifier. It is flat, just a few small inclines. The crowds also provide lots of encouragement. But, plan to lose quite a bit of time due to congestion. I hit my goal (3:30), so this is not sour grapes. I lost 2 minutes in the first 2-3 miles. After that, I could run my pace, but was frequently running around people, taking turns very wide (or slowing a lot taking them on the inside) or waiting behind a slower runner hoping for a break in the pack. I lined up correctly, but thousands of runners do not (check the results and compare chip vs. clock time and you'll see 4hr runners who started within a minute or two of the front -- which is 7 min/mile territory). Also the course gets very tight in many places -- near aid stations, on some narrowers streets and in places where the crowd has taken away one of the running lanes. I'd estimate that most mid-pack runners will lose maybe two minutes of chip time in the early going and then will end up running perhaps a quarter mile farther in order to weave around people and take corners wide. I still had a great time. But, for people solely focused on their time, this race is not as fast for midpackers as it is for elites. There was also a stiff headwind the last three miles.