Lakeshore Marathon - Race Reviews

I ran the half marathon in 2004. I was in probably the top 10 people in the half and there was NO one at the turn-around point to direct us!! I realized this shortly after and asked at just about every water stop, but no one had a clue. Ended up continuing to the halfway point on the marathon course at the north end. Race director apologized afterwards, but I see things only got worse in 2005...

I ran this marathon in 2005 because I missed out on the LaSalle Bank Marathon in 2004 due to an injury and wanted to see if I still had it in me to run this distance. I was very disappointed with this race. Coming back from an injury, I wanted to run a race that was well-organized because in addition to the normal effects runners suffer during a marathon, I was dealing with being a little out of the game. The mental effect of knowing that you should be finished because mile marker 25 was more than a mile ago and yet the finish line is still a mile away was devastating. I have never walked in any race, short or long, but I had no choice this time. I just felt defeated. When I found out the next day through the Chicago Tribune that the race was a mile longer than it should have been, I was very angry. Plus, aid stations were not properly set up. I ran past one station where the table was just sitting there, not put together, with boxes of water and Gatorade next to it. There was a time when I went 3 or 4 miles without an aid station. It was just a horrible race. I will never do this race again, even if they promise it will be better.

I ran all 4 of these and it is really too bad that such a beautiful course no longer has a marathon upon it in the spring. The weather ranged from awful the first year to wonderful in years 2 and 4 to hot in year 3, but the course is one of the best I have run (when the distance is not a mile too long).

I ran this race in 2002 and 2003 - the course is flat and the field is small allowing you a good opportunity for a PR. I thought the course to be very nice along the lake front. Both times I ran the organization was not bad at all. I don't know what happened afterwards. I would run it again especially if you live close to Chicago.

Save your time, energy, and money, if there is a 2006 race with the same race organization. Don't do it. Chicago has many good to great races; this is not one of them.

No feedback as promised in his letter on this site. No response to a single email question re: course maps, parking, apparent change in start site, actual length of half marathon. No clue, so don't do.

I have been waiting 2 1/2 months to receive my marathon medal. The one I was given after completing the 27.2 mile fiasco was for the half marathon. The race director told me he would take care of this and send me the correct one. I thought I could count on his word but alas I was wrong.

It was my birthday, the day of the race. My time was horrible, but I did something many others have not done. I learned a lot about myself on this day--what I can endure. The day was gorgeous and the scenery beautiful. I was thirsty and I did hit the wall, but I made it. How about they send us all t-shirts --Lakeshore Marathon-where you go the extra mile--and call it good? Life is too short to be bitter. I hope this race doesn't go under, I would love to help out with it. It's beautiful and it would be a shame. Thanks for some great runners I met along the way--encouraging words--I love runners.

This was my second Lakeshore Marathon and I was disappointed at the organization of the race. I would have thought last year would have proved to be a good lesson. I guess not! But, despite all the problems, Chicago is the best city and the course is just beautiful. Let's move forward to next year! I will go back despite the problems.

My first comments were not posted becasue I guess they would be considered 'inflammatory.' Looking back on it, even my worst run is better than my best day at work. Yes the guest hotel employees were ignorant as to any of the goings on with the race. Yes the 'wave start' was idiotic. Yes I got water once every 5 miles or so whether I needed it or not. Yes 6 or 7 miles were actually marked. Yes it was more than 26.2 miles. Yes, no matter how thirsty you were that drink they gave you tasted bad. Yes it was $87.50 to run it. But Chicago was a fun city. The Hyatt Regency is a nice hotel. When was the last time you heard about a marathon other than 'Boston' being on ABC World News? If you have to run over 27 miles of anything this would be the course you would want to do it on. The weather was great. The crowds were nice. Anything the race organizer could not interfere with was really nice.

At one point, a runner asked aloud, 'How much farther do we have?' None of us knew. Runners should not have to ask where they are: that's what mile markers are for. At the bridge near Fullerton, a volunteer sat, saying, 'Marathoners to the right, half-marathoners to the left. Marathoners to the right, half-marathoners to the left. Marathoners to the left, half-marathoners to the right... whoops!' A sign would have avoided this problem. My wife waited for me around a half-mile from the finish. She became an unofficial volunteer, steering runners back onto the path, keeping them from running the wrong way. Then I find out that I actually ran more than a half-marathon. This is real Three Stooges stuff.

I did the half this year. It was my first marathon experience, plus an excuse to visit with family in Chicago. My husband and I decided early on to pace ourselves mile by mile. That theory ended after mile 6 when we had no way to gauge where we were. I KNOW that the last mile was more like 1.5 or more, and I almost keeled over when someone told me I had about two blocks to go - and then someone else said, "one more mile!" Aargghh!! The most frustrating thing, though, was dealing with bikes whizzing by, telling me to get out of their way! One person on a bike came up right behind me and hollered that a marathon runner was coming up and to get out of the way. First of all, I wasn't in the way. I was way off to one side trying not to get flattened by cyclists that should have been on the street at the speed they were going. When he looked back at me, I pointed at my number with a scornful look on my face and he looked sheepish. Fine. Moving on. A few minutes later, another bike leader for a full marathon runner came up and screamed, 'Marathon runner on your right!!' We then moved a little to the left, almost plowing into said runner. Huh? Way to direct people, buddy. Do you mean to tell me that someone is running so fast that they can't calculate where people ahead of them are and how to not run right into them? I think we were all much better off without the cyclists 'directing' people. Oh, and I ride my bike every day, so I am not ragging on cyclists in general, just the people I encountered during the run. I have to say, though, the course was gorgeous! Beautiful day!

I have nothing to add about the distance. I will add it to my marathon war stories. The course is spectacular, both the lakefront and the parks. The volunteers were outstanding, the weather was great and Chicago is a fun city. Mistakes are made. Let's move forward to next year.

Coming from out of town, I was unfamiliar with Chicago and the lakeshore. From the beginning I knew it would be an interesting half marathon. 1) McCormick place is huge, and not one sign was anywhere telling runners where to pick up a packet. I ended up meeting other lost and confused runners and we wandered around until we finally found another runner that knew. (I even stopped two different McCormick Place security guards and neither one had a clue what I was talking about.) 2) Once back in my room the night before the marathon I was going through the 'packet' and discovered that there was absolutely NO information regarding race starting time, race starting location, participant parking, etc...! Since I didn't have access to internet I had to call a family member and have them look it up for me so I could write it down. Absolutely amazing! How is an out-of-towner supposed to know these things! (I guess I should have just memorized them.) 3) The race itself was decent; the Chicago lakefront is absolutely stunning when the sun is first rising. However, missing mile markers and poor course directions caused for some confusion during the run. This all in addition to the extra mile that was added on! If you're not from the Chicago area I would strongly recommend not wasting your time/money traveling to do this race. Wait a couple of years and see if the folks up in Chicago can get their act together.

This race was so poorly organized that I have to laugh in retrospect. An extra mile accidentally added to a marathon? Come on, that's got to be the biggest joke in marathon history! Reminds me of a surgeon who leaves an instrument inside of his patient. I feel sorry for the race organizer because a marathon production requires a tremendous effort but there's just no excuse for this kind of mistake.

The course was poorly marked, and volunteers were not helpful in directing us. In fact we were given wrong information despite trying to confirm what we were told. We did the half marathon [we think - no one could tell us if we made the correct turn around]. Judging from those that did the full race we may have been lucky that we only did the half, since there were problems with water stops and more issues with directions and course marking farther down course. It was so upsetting to have spent months training for the marathon only to find such a disaster in organization. And how terrible for all those trying to qualify for Boston. We did have a wonderful time in the city so the trip from Florida was not a total waste.

I've run all four of these races (my 15th in all). The only reason I keep coming back is the course! I'd hate to lose such a great venue but I can't see how the running community can support it, especially after the negative story on the front page of the Chicago Tribune as well as mention on the evening news!!! What a black eye for Chicago running. I can't add anything to the other comments without using obscenities, so I won't. My beef: I paid an entrance fee for a "USATF Certified" Marathon. I believe that according to Regulation 6 of the USATF operating manual, this was NOT in fact "USATF certified." The "last minute changes" obviously were not submitted and approved by the USATF. In short... I paid for a 'certified course' but it was not delivered. I believe I am owed (legally speaking) a certified marathon for my entrance fee. I'll take a refund or other reasonable restitution such as an entrance fee for a "real" marathon.

I've run this race all 4 years now so I knew what I was getting into. Brought my own water bottle, Gu, etc. Unfortunately forgot the foot pod that goes with the Polar to measure the distance. Last year it was too short, this year too long. I enjoyed every race especially the first, which was basically an adventure race due to weather, and (of course) lack of direction. But what can be better than running along Chicago's lakefront at 6am? It's the complete opposite of the Chicago Marathon and that's the attraction. Enjoy it for what it is, a do-it-yourself marathon.

I ran the full marathon. It was my first. I had heard at the finish from people with GPS watches that the course was long, but actually didn't mind that much because it made the achievement of finishing a little sweeter. I wasn't really shooting for a time. I got home and showed my medal to my kids who said, 'Hey Dad, it says congratulations on completing the half-marathon.' I guess they ran out of the others, or the guy handing them out didn't know what he was doing and I just didn't notice. I know it's just a medal and the numerous other problems mentioned are much more serious. It's just the rotten cherry on top of a lousy event. You run a 27.2-mile marathon and get a half-marathon medal. How ironic.

This was only my 2nd marathon and not only did I improve my time but I also improved my distance! F-ing awesome man, f-ing awesome! (What-up Tbone!?)

Those of us who have run this race in the past realize that the 27-mile marathon isn't a one-time snafu. The race has been poorly organized since its inception. The course is spectacular and the time of day is invigorating. It is mind boggling how Mr. Cihlar can screw this race up so badly each year. Keep the race and lose the organizer!

Tried this race again based on RD commitments to improve. What did we get? An extra mile, missing aid stations, poorly marked course, no course info in advance of the race, no mile markers, etc., etc. Time for new management since Chicago still needs a spring marathon.

This was my first marathon, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was frustrated that there were no maps provided. I thought the course markings were adequate only because I run along the lakefront almost every day and know my way around it. I brought my own water, which lasted me about halfway through the race, and I'm familiar with where the water fountains are located along the lake, otherwise I would have had a real problem with the unmanned aid stations. I'm disappointed to find that the course was too long, but I guess this means that my next marathon time in the fall will turn out a lot better. I'm not sure I'll run it again - I probably will look for another spring marathon somewhere else.

OK, OK, I admit I didn't run the marathon or even the halfer. I ran the 5K, but believe me, even that short race had problems. I believe this course was mismarked. The first mile seemed right, but the second mile a bit far. And after hitting the third mile, I am sure we ran another 1/2 mile or so, but it was definitely not a tenth of a mile. Also, the 5K was originally scheduled for Saturday, May 28. So I began contacting the organization a few weeks prior to find out about bib pick-up and start time. I never got a response back. But I did get a general email on Friday, May 27, one day before the 5K was scheduled, stating that it was rescheduled to Monday. Thanks for the early notice, Mark Cihlar. I really appreciate the spectators. They did a good job. I'm sure Mark had nothing to do with that.

There is no excuse for the extra mile! For me and others, it was several extra miles because the route was so poorly marked. On the return route, I took a wrong turn in the Navy Pier area that had no markings whatsoever. There were not enough aid stations, and never enough volunteers. You should be able to drink on the run. This was my second year of running Lakeshore and I expected improvement. Instead, this year's race was far worse. I am telling my fellow runners to avoid this marathon at all costs!

I wondered about the distance when trying to review my lap times on my watch. Missing mile markers made accurate review impossible, but I'm kind of happy to know I can run 27.2 miles -- the farthest I've ever run!! Disappointing, I'm sure, for those trying to qualify for Boston -- I'm not one of those. Ran it last year and enjoyed the beautiful course so much that I wanted to run it again. Lovely scenery throughout. I like the small numbers that run it -- more of a laid-back marathon, less stressful. What a great way to spend Memorial Day weekend -- visitng Chicago and then running on Memorial Day. Please offer it again next year.

A 27.2-mile marathon? The organizer says there were some problems, I'll say. I won't pile on, but I do expect my money back. Don't waste your time running this one.

Miserable - One word to summarize my overall experience of this race. I had a strong suspicion that the race was going to be disorganized after reading reviews on this website and sadly they were all very, very confirmed this past Monday. I'll break it down to why almost everyone who ran it was so disappointed with the race. - The race director just sent us all an email confirming what we all suspected. The course was actually 27.1 miles - not 26.2 miles. We all did an extra mile. This is absolutely inexcusable. For this one reason I never plan to run this marathon and will strongly discourage anyone else from doing it. I mean, come on, this isn't even their first year. This is their fifth time running this marathon. Inexcusable. They couldn't even get the distance correct. - Mile markers - How hard is it to spray paint a mile marker into the course? Conveniently after mile 23, 24/25/26 were missing. My sister, who ran the half marathon, said there weren't any mile markers after mile 6. - Directions - The course was poorly designed. The people running the water stations didn't even know what to do. There was no map, so my girlfriend, who was hoping to meet me up in certain areas of the race, couldn't figure it out. Certainly, none of us runners could either. -Course layout - The turn-about for the full marathon was at Bryn Mawr. There were parts where they told us to run circles in the middle of nowhere to just use miles so we wouldn't run through Navy Pier when we turned south. Overall - poorly designed. There is no sense of direction in the course design. - No spectators - I ran the Chicago and to compare the two... well, there is no comparison. Aside from an occasional water station group cheering us on, no one was out there. There was no advertising, no notices at all along the lakeshore. People running or biking the path thought we were running on our own. Bikers were whizzing past me, several giving me dirty looks. I was like, dude, I'm running a marathon. - Water stations - The director just sent us an email that admitted that two water stations were deserted. There was a mix-up in communication so two water stations weren't posted. I could count at least five water stations I passed by that had no people posted and where the water was completely gone.

You can't ask for a more scenic course and the weather turned out perfect. I am wondering if the local running community and city of Chicago give the support that this race needs. Perhaps they are all about the big fall marathon but it seems like a city like Chicago could easily support two annual marathons. Still, that doesn't excuse some of the mistakes, mainly the fact that the course was a mile or more too long! The other big mistake was that many of the mile markers were MIA. I thought there were enough water stops and friendly and helpful volunteers. I don't mind that some of the stops were self-service. I do hope that this race gets the support it needs because it has great potential!

This was my 13th marathon. I had never been to Chicago. What a beautiful course it was! I am in the Air Force and so appreciated the tribute to the military prior to the race. There was a lot of heart and effort that went into making this a great day! It WAS a great day despite some of the shortfalls! Thank you for everything!

I can't believe I keep coming back for this race. What is wrong with me???? No flipping water stations or mile markers for 4-5 miles. Thanks for the extra 1+ miles. I have now burned my legs out on this craphole of a race for nothing. I wanted and would have received a preferred start (and a PR) for the real CHICAGO Marathon but you dingbats added a mile. FIX IT!!!!! ADJUST OUR TIMES!! I guess I can only blame myself for believing you could iron out the problems from last year. On a positive note: The scenary was great, the other runners and bikers on the path were really supportive and encouraging, and the orange and banana at the end were good.

I used to run the marathon. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. But after repeated disappointment, I dropped down to the half. Why? Because I love running in Chicago, trees given out in honor of Earth Day and of course the medal. I thought the half would be half the problems - NO! Here are my problems with this race: 1. Distance not measured accurately. 2. Poor mile markers. 3. Not enough aid stations (WHAT happened between mile 6 and mile 11??? I almost dehydrated - come on!) 4. Amino fuel for full-marathoners and water for the half marathoners - what kind of volunteers tell you that? 5. No clear marking of the finish (until right there). 6. Had to cross an intersection at my own risk. (Thank God I caught the light!) 7. At the end I had to hunt down my medal - the guy handing them out was aloof! All this makes it a difficult decision to sign up for due to the fact that the entrance fee is so high - higher than a more established and more enjoyable marathons. My suggestion? Continue to make this marathon event better (110% better) and give all the past participants a discount (more than $5) or waive the fee all together. Why? Because we are the ones that can make or break this event. Good luck. P.S. LOVED the Navy Pier addition!!

The race has formally stated that the full marathon was a mile long. I wish the exact distance of the half would be provided as well. Anyhow, hopefully next year will be the turn-around year for this race.

I would just like to know how far I actually ran. This is my 3rd Lakeshore Marathon, 6th total marathon, and I was not happy with mile markers, course markers, and how I managed to add 20 minutes to my average 26.2 mile race. Let's just make it an ultra next year, eh? Why beat around the Gatorade tank! Still, it was a day better spent running than cleaning the underside of the lawn mower. A bad day running a marathon is better than the best day at work. I would be willing to shell out a few more bucks to have some more chow at the finish. The Hyatt looked a really long ways away to walk back to...

I ran the half this year and would like to know my results - does anyone know where and when it'll be posted? In addition, my complaints are exactly the same as the previous ones. What happened to the water?! What happened to mile markers? What happened to ORGANIZATION?!!

OK, so we ran too far on a beautiful day in the company of other people also trying to get a little exercise. Does anybody remember it was MEMORIAL DAY? At least we weren't in IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, LEBANON or any other WAR ZONE. Give the complaining a rest and be thankful you were able to run at all. Try reading a newspaper to see how many people died while we were 'suffering' so badly on Monday. It was a running event - not the end of the world. Get over it.

Disappointing. Improvements were promised from the previous year’s fiasco but were not fulfilled. While there were enough liquids at the water stops, they were still infrequent and sporadically placed. And the course still was not marked adequately (or accurately!!!) with mile markers. In fact, I swear this course was LONGER than 26.2! No, I didn’t just hit “the wall.” Others with GPS on them agreed and cursed all the way to the finish. Especially since mile marker 24 was way longer than 2.2 miles from the end. Getting the measured distance correct is fundamental to organizing a race!!! Thank goodness I was not attempting to qualify for Boston this go-around, or anything. Shame on the race organizers once again. As enchanting as the idea of running along the lakeshore was, I came away very disappointed that I had wasted my time on this race.