This was my first marathon, and I am extremely happy that I picked this one. It was very well organized, and the finish was amazing. I have decided that I will be running this marathon every year, no matter what.

I have done 30 or so marathons. This one was so fun. I personally thought it was very well organized. I have run some of the other majors, and I know I have seen the best. But what I liked most here were all the folks along the way. This darn thing, for the first year, is so well supported. The volunteers and the neighbors along the way were cheering you on. It was cold too. And they were out there still. Even older folks too were sitting in lawn chairs with comforters on to keep warm?! It was the best. Very different from many I have done. These two communities are amazing to jump in and support this. We runners have to remember how disruptive it is with all of the streets closed off.

This was my second marathon, and I just finished my third. The Illinois Marathon was my favorite. It had fantastic fan support, a decent expo, and more than enough water, Gatorade, gels and restrooms. The finish I will never forget. With about 1.5 miles left, you can see the odd-shaped basketball arena and you know you're getting close. Going into the football stadium is amazing... finishing on the 50-yard line! What a fantastic marathon.

I go to school at UIUC, and the route was very good and well managed. A lot of good people cheered, and every intersection had a volunteer helping with traffic. I liked the downhill start for the first mile to get momentum for the rest of the race.

Two small complaints: No/bad staggered start according to pace. That made for A LOT of passing. (Hopefully this is changed in 2010.)

That last hairpin turn for the half-marathon, with 300 yards to go, was brutal.

I have lived in Champaign for 38 years, so I knew that the course would be flat. The Gatorade/water stops were ample, and there were great crowds. The expo was weak compared to the others I've been to, as was the goody bag (if that's your thing). The finish line organization could've been a lot better. There wasn't enough room for what they had planned. But for an inaugural race, they did very well, in my opinion. I plan to run it in 2010.

I've raced all over this country, and in about 12 foreign countries, so I have seen both the best and worst of events. I would rank the Illinois Marathon/Half-Marathon near the top for a first-time event. However, with even a good event, tweaking it here and there can make it a great event.

My suggestions:

1) start the half and full marathons separately

2) change the course to eliminate the narrow path in the park - nice for running, but not for a crowded race

3) silence the "pie hole" on the obnoxiously loud announcer in the stadium

I will return! Great job!

This was my fourth marathon, so I have seen a few other courses in my running career. I feel that the course was wonderfully laid out with a good mixture of city/neighborhood. I loved running through the golf course/park area. The crowd support was great throughout the entire race.

The only criticism that I may have would be the bathroom lines at the start of the race. It was a little confusing as you tried to line up for the race itself. I LOVED the prayer before the race! I thought it was very well done. It was very cool to end up on the U of I field at the end.

I hope to run this marathon next year! Great job!

The only thing that really bothered me at all was the porta-potties facing the race's starting area, which has been a common criticism from what I can see. But if that is the biggest problem, I think the crew did an excellent job putting it together! KUDOS!!! Loved how we finished on the 50 yard-line!!! C-U is beautiful; continue to show it off to the runners in the future!! :) I ran the 5K, but watched the others finish too.

I thought the organizers did a tremendous job. Of course, a first-time marathon will invariably have a few logistical issues;for the inaugural Illinois marathon, it was simply the direction the portable bathrooms faced. They were facing the street where all the runners were lined up to start, and it created a gridlock of folks pointed toward the starting line versus folks pointed towards the bathroom. I couldn't make it to my pacing group, and for the first 5 miles I was dodging slow half-marathoners (which is another problem, but one that occurs in lots of races, unfortunately).

The course is great--very flat and a good PR course. I loved finishing in the stadium at the 50 yard line of the football field. Go Fighting Illini! I will definitely run this again.

Disclaimer: My only other marathon experience was Chicago 2007, with extreme heat, no water, and a race that was canceled halfway through. So, I came into this event a little skeptical. However, at each step of the event, I was pleasantly surprised with the organization and well thought-out details of a first-time event. Being from Urbana, I'd have to say that I was proud of everything that transpired throughout the weekend.

The minor improvements that come to mind include a change to the port-a-potties at the start, the narrow path through Meadowbrook Park, the drop-off point for the bags, and more detailed instructions inside the packet. I was unsure of where to drop off my stuff and what to do with the chip at the end.

Otherwise, 6 stars for everything else. What a day it was.