Circular Logic Marathon - Race Reviews

An amusing race with great support. The one mile loop is horribly wonderful. The race support is fantastic.

Their aid station system is fantastic. You put your number on your bottle and they refill it every lap. They have some schools participate in the marathon relay and I love watching the younger students and their enthusiasm.

You would think doing one mile loops would be mind numbing but there is some odd comfort in knowing that you just have to do one loop at a time. This year I did the 8 hour challenge and ran with friends, they did more loops but we had the opportunity to run and walk together throughout the race I even hung out with Larry Macon a few times. Cup-less race so bring a bottle and they will fill it and put it on your spot on the main table. The parking lot backs up to the course so we brought a table and snacks that we had access too every mile. It was cold morning and I was able to change into warmer clothes as I slowed down later in the race. The race cost is low so they do not supply food and its an upcharge to get a shirt and medal, if you do a lot of races this helps the budget. They have amazing staff, there is one guy that ran a full marathon just cheering people on, later I caught him on his second monster, whatever it takes right?

Love this small race. The volunteers are awesome and made my day great despite my goal being out of reach. I will be back next year.

26 laps around a cool little course...Very helpful, courteous and fun volunteers..Great shirt and medal...Total race organization was 1st class...I found it was perfect race to start my running season...Laid back feel to this one...Loved it.

Yes, it is a strange one-mile course, but it was the friendliest marathon ever.

This 2017 race was my first marathon. I had run 2 half-marathons before, and my goal is to someday run the Chicago Marathon. In order to qualify for Chicago, you have to run a 3:15 marathon (for men), so this was my original training goal. Halfway through training, I realized that this was not possible for me yet, and less than a week before the race, I got sick with the flu, but I still managed to break 4 hours on race day. The marathon itself is run on a 1-mile loop (the first lap is 1.2 miles), so you run the same course 26 times. This might sound boring, but it is actually pretty fun. You get a rhythm going, and you are always passing slower runners and being passed by faster runners, so you are never alone. And if you have friends or family cheering you on, they will get to see you run past 26 times. There are a few public restrooms around the course that are very nice, as well as porto-potties. Also, they have a screen at the timing mats to show your lap time. The best part is the water stop. Instead of a traditional water stop with paper cups, you bring your own bottles and label them. They will refill them with water or Gatorade throughout the day, and you can also have 'no-refill' bottles. You can pick your own bib number, and in 2017 the 100-199 bibs were for the fastest runners. There were volunteers with walkie-talkies watching out for these bibs, and you could signal to them whether you wanted water or Gatorade. They would have your bottle ready for you by the time you reached the water tables. All the volunteers cheered me on. Everyone at the water tables would tell me to keep it up, and there were volunteers with cowbells at the timing mats. Also, there was a guy walking around the course that would cheer the runners on, and without him I honestly don't think I would have broken 4 hours. I thoroughly enjoyed this marathon, and I would strongly recommend it to any runner, whether it is your first or 100th marathon.

Ok, there are a lot of 1 mile loops to tackle, but you know that when you sign up. The race is VERY well organized, wonderful RD and volunteers. Great water table system with own bottles that get refilled. Nice, well fitting shirts. Great price. Great atmosphere, which you get to enjoy every loop!!

I like this race even though I am often toward the end of the finishers.

This marathon was my return after suffering a complete right hamstring avulsion of all 3 tendons off the ischial tuberosity and undergoing proximal hamstring surgery (I completely tore my hamstring off the hip and had it sowed back on to screws inserted in the hip) Physical therapist said the leg would never be strong enough to race a marathon again but I could finish one if I run/walk it and did not care about my finish time. So I choose my hometown marathon in case disaster struck. Glad I did because it is a great event and I enjoyed myself. Pros: 1. Being able to select your own bib number between 1-1000. I chose 473 which was the number of days from my surgery to race day. 2. Two convenient parking lots directly by the course. When the wind started howling and I got cold from mostly walking the last few miles, I walked off the course to my car 20 yards away in the parking lot, put on my running jacket and was back on the course where I left it. 3. Early start times giving up to 8 hours to finish the course. 4. Never being more than a mile a way from liquids, gels or bathrooms because of the one mile course. I got to like always knowing how far away I was from things. Also if you have family or supporters, they can tail gate along the course and see you 26 times. 5. Race director goes out of his way to take care of you. Great volunteers. 6. Hard to find a marathon course as flat as this unless you ran it on a track. Cons: 1. Narrow sidewalk that is need of repairs in spots due to street trees making an uneven surface for about .3 miles. Some congestion after all 3 start times. Sidewalk not a major problem for someone as slow as I am but a potential problem if trying to BQ. 2. Relay teams. Twice I had a relay team member stop right in front of me on the course to make an exchange. Could have been a problem for someone moving faster than me. Highly recommend this race for a first timer or a back of the pack marathoner.

I really enjoyed this marathon despite the overwhelming wind this year. The volunteers and spectators were great, and the overall atmosphere was fantastic. I would like to send my thanks to the volunteer who was near the turn onto the sidewalk - he was so energetic and enthusiastic for the whole race! I also really liked being able to see my mile splits each lap. There were always people nearby on the course, so you never feel isolated. Passing people on the narrow sidewalk was a bit frustrating, especially since some people would walk in the middle rather than stay to the right. I had mixed feelings about the water station. I was expecting the volunteers to be watching and hand you your drink when you were approaching, although I guess this might not be feasible. There were never any volunteers nearby and I always had to stop to pick up my drink, whereas most marathons I would get a drink from a volunteer without having to stop. My bottles were also regularly filled with the wrong drink (my Gatorade bottle would have water and vice versa). This wasn't really a big deal, but at one point both of my bottles were filled with water, so I had no Gatorade available. However, if I had to pick one thing about the race that I really didn't like, it would be the hairpin turn from the sidewalk onto the paved trail. It was difficult to navigate with other runners around you, and it completely zaps your momentum. I was hoping to finally break 4 hours, and I think this turn really slowed me down especially near the end of the race. The course is overall very flat and fast, but keep this turn in mind if you have time goals.

I ran this race because of the great comments I saw on MG and was not disappointed. This is a great small race. I loved the hydration plan and not having to carry anything extra for 26 miles, and also knowing I could drink exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it. The RD has done a great job in sizing the running field to keep the course from feeling too crowded. Also he was great in responding to emailed questions. There was plenty of close parking and only 15 minutes from hotels in Lafayette. Top notch effort all around.

In early March, it is still a bit early to find outdoor marathons in the mid-west, so I felt fortunate to find this race for the first weekend in April, though I found out about it just 3 weeks ahead of time. By then, they had finalized T-shirt design and medal count. But since there was an e-mail address for the race director, Joe, I e-mailed him to see if it was too late to get in and be included as a recipient for a T-shirt and medal. Joe got right back to me told me to go ahead and register online and included me in the count (in this race you had to pay extra for a medal and T-shirt). This is the first race I participated in where they actually put the names of the runners on the back of the event T-shirt. Cool! But you had to register before they finalized the T-shirts (and I did not make the cut-off). Also, they did not use the normal Tyvek material for the bibs. It was some kind of synthetic material, I think, and it held up in the 30 mph winds that were coming. The RD must have done the bibs himself, because they individually personalized each bib; you could choose your number, and they'd print your name, nick-name, or alias on the bib for you, along with the event name and date. And they provided bibs for both the front and back. The course was a one mile paved loop, part of it a sidewalk, and part a path through the park. Near the start line, there was a bathroom. An adjacent parking lot had port-a-potties that were brought in too. Across the path, they had several banquet-sized tables set up end to end with a long strip, designating a place for each runner, by bib number, to set their refreshments: Water-bottles, Gator-ade, gels, or whatever. Additional carb snacks were available on another table nearby. It worked great, because runners did not have to carry anything with them, but after completing each loop, just past the timing mat, you had access to whatever you needed for carbs or re-hydration. Volunteers would return numbered bottles to the appropriate numbered place on the tables. This race had both a one-hour and a two-hour early start, and then the course was open for 6 hours. So runners really had up to 8 hours to finish; someone could have walked the whole thing if need be and still have finished in time. I love flexibility! There were perhaps 50 runners for the first wave of early starters. We gathered near the designated start-line as 7:00 a.m. approached, to be told that the timing officials were delayed in arriving, because of a flat tire en route. When they did arrive, and the timing devices were handed out, the race began - though a bit late. The course was well marked, and after one time around, you had the turns and curves figured out. Also, the course was flat. I was concerned about 26 times around the same course, but it was not that bad. I think by lap 22, I was ready to see some new scenery, but by then, I was almost done. There was a 0.1 mile spur - out and back - that everyone had to complete one time to get the proper 26.2 mile distance. Another unique thing they did with this race was to set up a video monitor a 100 or so feet past the timing mat. The display only showed about 5 names at a time, and when you crossed the mat, your name showed up on the top line; it showed the number of the lap just completed. The drawback was if 6 runners were right behind you, by the time you could see the monitor, your name had already dropped off the bottom of the display, and you had to wait until the next time around. That display also showed elapsed time for the lap just completed. So each runner could see from lap to lap how well they were holding out. And somewhere past the 18 mile point, my lap time just kept edging upward - go figure! Adjacent to the timing mat, there was a tent canopy set up with post-race refreshments. They had the typical refreshments. It was also the place spectators could hang out and encourage their runner. The uncontrollable thing with this race, as with any race, is the weather. Forecasts winds were supposed to be about 30 mph. The wind did come. When it did, it wreaked havoc blowing canopies over, water-bottles, and anything else not tied down. About that time, the tornado warning siren came on. I feared the worst! A local gal was telling runners that it was just the weekly test that they do every Saturday morning. Relief! After I finished, the wind blew the timing mat off the path. We quickly re-positioned the mat with stones & wood to hold the corners down. Other weather factors were a cold start at 32 degrees  warming to near 50. The sun was out early, but overcast skies ruled for most of the morning. The couple of brief sun-breaks did little to warm the air. Shortly after noon, there was what looked like cross between snow and hail that started to fall. Never a dull moment. This was a great race. Joe & his staff put on a race without runners having to cross any roads, they provided an environment where runners did not have to carry fluids or snacks, and they eliminated having cups on the course too  keeping it clean. And they made use of computer/graphics to keep each runner informed of his/her progress through the race. It was a pleasant experience being able to participate in this marathon. And it was my first marathon since heart surgery only 5 months ago. And I finished with a very respectable time. Well Done!

Other races would do well to look at this event and learn. I have run it three times, a great family feel and flat course. Spectators are great and race director and volunteers are very humble and love all about what the running community means. I love the low cost and options to decline t-shirt and/or medal.

Some marathons seem so big that you get lost in the shuffle. This one is sized right so you get individual questions answered. The price is right. Thought the loop would get boring, but it was great for keeping track of pacing. The electronic lap counter and screen were super to keep up on how many laps you've done. The no litter water plan worked well. There was always spectators around to cheer you on. No traffic to mess with and parking was a breeze. The volunteers were outstanding.

Running 26 laps around a park seems to be boring - but it is not when you do it with many other people. Very friendly and festive, supportive and accommodating. You can start early if you wish. However, this race is not for the ultra-fast PR's - there could be a bunch of kids in a narrow sidewalk ahead of you to go around.

Amazing one of a kind experience. Talk about spectator friendly - you see them 26 times! Course was fine. Volunteers amazing. Wind was brutal. Do yourself a favor and do this one before it becomes too popular!

I was blown away by this raceit was so well-organized and many of the things that have bothered me about larger races just weren't present here! Nice flat & fast course with enough variation to keep things interesting; I was able to keep my effort consistent throughout. (Only complaint was the concrete sidewalk section, but that's just because I'm a few months out from a stress fracture that is still a little tender on concrete.) Loved being able to see other participants over and over; everyone was very friendly and developed a real sense of community during the course of the race. Incredible bargain for the low price (I paid less than 1/3 of what I paid for my last marathon!), and the race director is phenomenal. He greeted me by name both at packet pickup and at the race, and was super quick to answer the questions I had prior to race day; I also saw him responding very quickly to any questions asked on the Facebook page. This is definitely a race put on by someone who knows what matters to runners and what makes for an amazing race-day experience!

With an Ironman on my bucket list, I wanted to make sure my knees would hold up for a marathon. They did and the finisher's medal was the best ever for any race I've done. The race organization, communication, and implementation were fantastic. Volunteers were many and incredible, encouraging to all, even the many of us who were velocity-challenged. A couple of narrow areas and one tight turn or I would have said the race was perfect. Definitely will be back. Great marathon for a beginner.

A great team or single person marathon. A lot of spectators without being too crowded or competitive. The course is completely flat.

Fun race, did not feel like I was running in circles even though I was. Volunteers were all helpful and friendly. I liked setting up my own nutrition and having access to it every lap. Nice race shirt with participants and relay teams printed on the back. Nice medal (a circle, of course) I would definitely do this one again.

This was an excellent organized race, and the volunteers couldn't have been more enthusiastic or positive. I only opted for 13 laps loved it and will definitely be back! The guy with the big furry hat is awesome! My favorite ran me in. I also really liked the no litter bottle system, great job !

This is a small but very well run marathon. Organization and communication are excellent. Parking and facilities, etc. are all within just a few feet of the course. It was a surprisingly enjoyable course. You are always with other runners and crowd support. I really liked how you were given your pace for each mile loop. Surprisingly, it was not boring to run 1 mile loops. In fact, it helped you plan your strategies.

Ran this race this past weekend 3/28/15 and loved it. The course is not scenic, it was cold but the volunteers were wonderful and the participants and spectators were very encouraging! It was great to know your splits each loop if you wanted. Mike the volunteer who probably logged more miles than anyone as he walked through the course to encourage us was amazing - love the high fives. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a smaller more personal marathon experience.

This is a not too big, not too small, just right marathon with great organization and a welcoming group of organizers, volunteers and spectators. The mile-loop course is good for closely tracking your progress and hitting a goal. And there's a lot to be said for being able to leave a drop bag along the course and having the opportunity to pick up, or shed, anything you need to when going by every mile. Cool medal, too. I highly recommend Circular Logic.

This is a great race. The RD is a really nice guy too. It is a one mile loop in a beautiful park. I actually got a pr in the 2014 version and then got another pr in the 2015 race. If you want a pr or Boston qualifier this is your race. Very flat and the crowd pumps you up each time you go by them.

This is my new favorite race. I'm a back-of-the-packer and find the back half of a marathon an isolated effort. Not so at CLM. You are surrounded by fellow marathoners all day, sharing in the run together. And the energy of the volunteers and spectators cheering you on with each lap is energizing. Also, the 'litter-free' aid station is a wonderful touch. CLM is a gem among marathons, unique in many ways, well organized and just an absolute blast!

I was very skeptical about this race since it is 26 laps. After reading the review of others I decided to give it a try. I never once got tired of the repeat laps. I was able to track my time a lot better this way and was able to hit my goal time. I got to see my support system 26 times which helped out tremendously. You are never alone in this race and it was just the motivation I needed to keep going. There is a REAL bathroom ladies. :) Bathroom and your drink are available each mile. Very motivational helpers. I will be back next year.

I was unsure about a one-mile loop, but I absolutely loved this course. I was able to get into a groove and knew when I could push or hold back a bit. The course was great, the support/staff was great and my fellow runners were great.

A great small race, with a race director who truly knows what he is doing. Registration and packet pickup are a snap, and everything promised is carried out - including the volunteer help at the water station. For a snowy/rainy/windy/cold day, plenty of fans were out along the mile loop, and you certainly never felt alone.

Ran the relay, not the marathon. Had a lot of fun! Crowd was great, course was nice, size of field was good, and the organization and race director were awesome!

Pros: This is a small race, so you can pick your bib up the day of the race. Just park, walk to check-in tent, and five minutes later you've got your stuff. You can get at your bottles and gels every mile, so you don't need to carry them with you. The course is flat, with a very minor rise at one point. The volunteers are so happy to be there! Cons: On the back half, where the course narrows to a sidewalk, there is an occasional bumping of elbows. This is pretty minor (since you can run on the grass), as evidenced by this year's winner, who put out a 2:39. I would totally recommend this marathon, and plan on doing it next year.

Because the race is circular, we were never alone while running, and there were always spectators along the way, (especially one guy with the furry hat, who was the best motivator ever and cheered everyone through each lap). The race had plenty of Marathon Maniacs and several gave me the 'Go Maniac!' cheer as we ran. I didn't get bored running the circles and the litterless water station process was ingenious. I was close enough to my car in the parking lot and only had to hit the hood to wake my husband up if I needed additional fuel. :) Great race to start the running season off with! Flat and the weather was about 40 after starting off with snow in the early morning. I would like to end my comments with the Race Director, Joe Ely. He was so engaged and hands on throughout the entire process. Whatever question or issue I had, he was truly responsive to and eased my concerns. His personal touch was much appreciated and what really made this race successful!

This is a circuit race with good support and clear music streaming from the race tent loudspeakers. There is improvement needed with the loop course and with timing. I have ran several circuit races, and I found 'Last Chance for Boston' to have the best course and timing methods.

Prior to this race I had my doubts. However the RD organized and ran a top-notch event. Low-key but very well organized. Staff was knowledgeable and efficient. Volunteers and spectators were cheerful and supportive...tough to do on such a cold, windy day. Everyone was engaged and we seemed to feed off each other. Every runner's welfare was a priority. I wouldn't hesitate to do this one again.

This was a fun race. For anyone thinking it would be boring, it is not. It is a blast to run and see so many people several times on the course. Spectators get to see you 26 times! It felt like a bigger marathon because I was constantly passing people. Good organization and a cool medal make it fun too. One thing to improve on the course would be to get rid of the hairpin turn. (I am not talking about on the first lap). Route us through the parking lot. You would lose some parking, but there seemed to be plenty anyway. I set a PR here so I will always have find memories. I think the field could be a little bigger. Age group awards could go deeper, or just have 5 year groups and an award for 1st for each group.

I have run this race the past three years and I highly recommend it. They just get it. Extremely well run and supported. Nice little touches make this marathon an incredible value. Very fun. The RD and volunteers are just outstanding. They go above and beyond. Pancake flat and aid stations every mile. I'll definitely be back.