Quad Cities Marathon - Race Reviews

I've run this race 5-6 times. It's a great local race. It's big enough for getting a good crowd & small enough to not be overcrowded. Well organized. Great course. Lots of viewing of the Mississippi River.

I see that there are no reviews of this race since my last one. Did the half today. Half course now goes across 4 steep bridges in 13 miles. But we now go through all 4 cities for the half. Full always did. Be ready for hills. And my previous comment about trains. I was running a mid pack 2:15 half. I cleared the train tracks and literally 5 seconds later bells. Train. The course curved so I could see about a 7 minute delay. But look. Joe is great. High fives for everyone. Race staff is very friendly and cool. Pretty course. Just be aware there are train problems here, including full marathon course.

I have run six full marathons, and forty-plus half's. I have not run the full here. I've done the half seven times now. I only offer some information that runners thinking about doing this race should be aware of. During both this year and last year, the race has been stopped by a train. This affects both the full and half courses. Elites and fast age group runners were not affected. Two hour-ish half runners and four hour-ish full runners were stopped for probably about 5 minutes or so.

I have been promising a friend I would come run the QC marathon for 17 years. I'm sorry it took so long to make it to the race. This is a great race! The organization was excellent. Having the expo, start & finish all in the same area and adjacent to the Race Hotel was really convenient. The expo was a nice size and packet pick-up was swift and easy. Race day was equally well organized. With the start line right outside the hotel, I was able to maximize sleep, get a nice breakfast at the hotel, stretch inside and then take a leisurely stroll to the start line. The race started right on time and it was great to have the Civil War Cannon start us off with a boom! The course was well marshalled with plenty of volunteers to help direct us where to go. There were plenty of well stocked aid stations along the course, too. I especially liked the fact that there were gels from about 5 miles on. There was even a chicken broth station just after mile 21. The course has a couple of small hills going over bridges and a pretty sizable hill at about 2 miles, other than that, it's flat and fast. Post race is awesome! There was a great selection of food and beverages after the race. And plenty of volunteers to help you through the chute and to help you get whatever you need. I highly recommend the race to anyone who wants a smaller town feel, with all the big city perks and amenities!

A well organized and enthusiastic marathon that was a pleasure to run. Some water stops had ice in the cups, that helped out because 2016 was HOT.

This marathon was amazing - everything from registration to packet pickup to the race went smoothly. The course provides a nice tour of the 4 quad cities and running over Centennial bridge was really cool. One of the hardest parts for me was Arsenal Island from miles 13-20. Since it's an active military base no spectators are allowed which didn't help during some tough miles. Also, this year it got pretty warm and we would go a few miles with no water stops so it would be nice to get a few more of those too. Be mentally prepared for mile 20 when you have to run by the finish area to do a final out and back before being able to finish, those were some long miles there. One of the greatest parts was the race director waiting at the finish line to shake your hand and give you a pat on the back. I wasn't feeling the hottest and he took the time to walk me around the finish area as a cool down to make sure that I was okay - great guy! The post race party was one of the best I've ever seen. Lots of food and drink options as well as good entertainment. Overall, a great race with great people, definitely worth it to give it a shot!

Good race, my only complaint is the out and back at the end of the race. It was a pleasant race and well run.

I have run 4 marathons including Goofy and 29 half marathons and hands down...QCM is my favorite race. This was my fifth QCM experience and I keep coming back! Joe, his committee and volunteers do an outstanding job of organizing this event and the perks are always awesome. There is always plenty of parking that is very close to the start and plenty of porta-potties at the staging area. Just make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to stand in line which usually moves pretty fast. The first 5 miles is tough and the course elevation map does indeed show the elevation changes. I always look forward to the bagpipe on the bridge!! I have always experienced that QCM has plenty of water/Gatorade stops and the gel and fruit stations are just about in the right places. The volunteers are always so wonderful and the spectators will get you through the rough spots. I have never had any problems with the mats on the Arsenal bridge. There is another hill on the Arsenal so be prepared for it. It may get warm at the end of the race but that is what you trained for. There is nothing the event organizers can do about that. I have experienced that at many races. It happens. The finish is electric and Joe will personally pat you on the back when you finish. What other organizer does that? I have never seen it done except QCM. The after party is wonderful with great food, lots of beer and places to sit and visit with your fellow racers. The perks, including the always great medals and great shirts are some of the best I have experienced. I would HIGHLY recommend the Quad Cities Marathon and the many events that are offered to anyone. It is worth the training and ultimately the event. You definitely get a lot of bang for your buck. Thank you, Joe, crew and volunteers for yet another fabulous day and see you next year!

Thank you for putting this together!!! Thank you to all volunteers, Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters for their help. Loved the shirts and those in charge were VERY helpful. I plan on running it next year. THANK YOU AGAIN !!!!!!!!!

I have run this marathon nine times since 2003. It was my 64th marathon. I know that Joe and the team put their heart and souls into this event, but this year was somewhat of a disappointment. There was no pasta dinner. People in the race told me that it was overpriced and then canceled. There was no poster. Now I have learned of issues with the timing folks who claim I did not finish all 26 miles...next time I will stop by to show them my Garmin watch. Not a runner-friendly event this year.

It would be great to start in corrals so its not elbow to elbow on the bridge and runners getting pushed into traffic. Also, water/gatorade tables every mile would be great to.

I'm a 'First timer' for the 1/2 marathon. I have 2 big complaints. 1-please don't start all participants in a large group. I passed several much slower individuals, which caused myself and others to run on the sidewalk at times to get around especially at the start. possibly divide into finish paces (similar to how the Bix starts) may help. 2nd complaint - the Government bridge. I was feeling great until running across the 'mat' that was laid across the bridge to protect runners from stepping in the holes. My knees killed me after running on this. Others who I ran with had similar complaints. I was on pace to finish before 2 hours for the half until this as well. Which was a huge disappointment for me to finish over my goal time. Please use a more stable base for this bridge - possibly plywood or something like that. Otherwise, I very much enjoyed this race and have already registered for next year!

This was my second marathon of the year and my favorite. Running along the river really made for an awesome run. The only complaint I have is the start is really crowded until you get pass the first bridge. It would be nice if they would start the marathon and 1/2 marathon first then do a start for the other races.

I've ran in 11 half marathons/marathons and I was not impressed with this course. It would have been nice to have been corralled in the start of the race to avoid having faster runners be stuck in the back of the pack and trying to pass a lot of others (especially when there's a one lane bridge you have to cross within the first mile or two). I also did not like having to cross railroad tracks in the half marathon course. There was a train coming just as I was about to cross the tracks so I literally had to try and outrun a train. And then going over the bridge into Rock Island, it would have been nice if there was more than just a single 'lane' of mats. The post race food was good though!

This is the second time I have done the half marathon and I was impressed with the organization and how smooth packet pick up was for everyone. I was in and out in under ten minutes. The spectators along the course were great and the signs were much appreciated as they provided much needed inspiration as well as comic relief. The refreshments after the race had a little something for everyone and the volunteers were supportive and plentiful. Thanks for a great race and I will see you again next year!!

I have done the half the last three years and enjoy it. The race starts by crossing the I-74 bridge across the Mississippi River which is an experience that itself is worth the price of admission. The first five miles is hilly but it flattens out after that. After party is pretty great with lots of beer flowing. The start is awkward, lots of jokers and old ladies to push out of the way. It's worse than most races I've been to, they really need to coral them away or have a separate start. The shirts are so ugly that they are unwearable. Past two years have been weird blue/green colors.

Loved everything about this race until mile 21. Great music and scenery, nice quick route, fun spectators!! After mile 20, the out and back was mentally tough, very hot and sunny (very little shade), and limited water. Would have liked to see more cold fluids to get through that last stretch.

Things to work on: Marathon/1/2 Marathon clarity of second separation on Arsenal Island is an issue. Volunteers should have printed coarse maps just in case. This cost me an extra 5k and I ran 29.3 miles for the day.

A well organized race that goes above and beyond to make the runners happy. The course is diverse and quite flat, with the hardest inclines being the bridges crossing the river (you spend well over a mile on bridges, admiring the Mississippi below). The first two miles are crowded, but never confining. The water stops are plentiful and they have much-appreciated fruit (oranges and bananas) and candy (soft fruit chews) at two spots late in the race. The weather in 2015 was hot, with bright sun and 76 degree temperatures by 11:30. In response to the heat, the volunteers handed out cold towels with smiles on their faces and encouragement in their voices. Running through four cities is nice and the military base on Arsenal Island added an interesting aspect for the middle miles (I'd never run past an 'atomic cannon' before and the military golf course is beautiful). While spectator support was moderate, the volunteers were the highlight of this race. They were numerous, great spirited, and just plain nice. I was very impressed with the warm reception from the people of the Quad Cities, with the well organized race they put on, and I would certainly recommend this marathon.

I ran this race with my boyfriend, it was his first race. The expo was fun, the t-shirts were awesome. Some of the best I have seen. The start line was great, I loved that parking was so easy. The first half of the race went well, but it wasn't that pretty and there were not many spectators out. Then the sun came out. It was HOT. And there weren't many spectators or other runners around us. So it got quiet and lonely. It was a hard way to run your first marathon. Arsenal Island was pretty, but I was hoping there'd have been soldiers out with their families. We saw hardly a soul. Then we crossed the bridge off the island, only to literally run about 20 feet from the finish line to do a not-so-pretty out and back for the last 6 miles. Talk about mentally challenging! The course layout was not well thought out. This is not a race I would do again, nor would I recommend it to people. The half would have been fun, but the full was just tough, especially for such a flat course.

This is a great race, but could be better if either it was divided by the different races via start times, or making waves via time. The bridge is way too crowded at the beginning.

It would be nice if there was corrals at the start and a wave start. I think it would ease congestion on the bridge and allow people to run at their own pace in the first couple miles.

I picked this full marathon as a BQ race(I have a different BQ time).It said there's a 6.5 hours course limit, with everyone off Arsenal Island with a 16 minute/mile pace. A race walker and I were under a 13:45 minute/mile pace while on the island when the sag wagon literally started following us at mile 17 when we were on pace to make it off the island with 20 minutes to spare. Nothing like a hot van following you on a sunny(very little shade) & 75 degree day. I asked the driver if he was going to follow us until we were off the island since it's a military base. He said no until the end of the race. We on pace to make a 6 six hour pace, definitely under the 6.5 course limit. I watched as they race clock said 6:24:00 as they broke down the finish line area with others out on the course. Don't advertise being walker friendly when you're not. if you're a slow half marathoner this is an ok race,but not the full. The Wineglass Marathon is a week later and is much better for slow runners and walkers. At Wineglass I only saw the sag wagon once to take a head count and NOT hound us to the finish. The Wineglass finish line had spectators and was still there 15 minute after the course limit was over. Quad Cities literally had opening the day before. Wineglass sells out early,because they deliver what they advertise.

This is my 23rd marathon and I was impressed with the course, the support on the course for the runners, the organization of the start and finish. More Gu stations than I am used to plus the wet towel stations were a life safer. I would run this again but would love to see the race start at 7 or 6:45 am to take advantage of the cooler temps. It was to hot and it was more than light enough to see at 7 or 6:45. The only other suggestions would be that the hotel that is the race headquarters should put something out to welcome runners and wish them luck. there was nothing, first time I have ever had that experience. The other suggestion would be to connect with the local/walking distance restaurants and make sure they know about the race and if they could make sure that runners know where they are and menus. By luck found Barley and Rye which was a great place to eat. Have run all the big races and this race is a must for runners. The race itself and the support for runners was great.

This is the second time I have ran this race and the course is great. I agree, more bathrooms are needed, but the biggest disappointment was there was no food left for the last of the runners coming in. We signed up in plenty of time for planning, and were in before the required time, but there was nothing left for our group to eat after a long, hot day. For those of us at the end, we need some protein and you should have planned to keep enough food to feed the final runners. It is even more important, since we are out on the course much longer than your 'fast' runners. We had a ticket on our bib and you should have planned for us too! This was a big problem for us. I hope you can correct this for next year.

Had a great time on race morning. Our vehicle of participants were voicing concern over lack of police direction getting to the race with the construction surrounding the bridge and road closures. The bridge was backed up. Participants that were lined up middle to the end of the pack at the starting line did not hear any pre-race comments etc. Was there a National Anthem? I hope so, but we could not hear any of it, just the big boom. I would think they could have had speakers set up for that. I think it would be great for all the local high school band drum lines to spread out over the course for entertainment and encouragement. I was disappointed when I received my Dispatch in the mail. The race results for the full Marathon were incorrect. Kudos to all the volunteers.

This was my first race, but I was really impressed with the organization of the event. There were lots of people to pick up their packets and it all went smooth as silk! Very impressed!

Joe, you and your army of volunteers did a great job. This was my first 'official' 1/2 mari. But have ran in 10-12 races this year including the Firecracker and Freedom Run. I thought it was well planned, organized, laid out, and executed. Races are races but they are also social events....that means plenty of people will be involved and that is what makes them a great experience. There will always things that can be improved but my opinion is that this race hits it out of the park. A lot of that has to do with you and your attitude. Great job. Can't wait until next year.

While I have run the QC Marathon's half-marathon several times, this was my first full. It was quite a day to remember! Like many commenters, I agree that this course is beautiful, the volunteers are fantastic, and the community is top notch. My comments are really for the organizers. As we waited for several friends to cross, the clock ticked and the volunteers at the post party started packing up. I realize that after 5 hours, most people are heading out, but...if the organizers are going to allow folks to stay on the course and finish at 6 or 7 hours, then they should make sure that there is something other than water for those racers. My heart broke for some of them...they worked just as hard (or harder) than me, they just didn't cross at the same time as me, so to find no one working a snack table, not a single banana/orange/granola bar waiting for them...so sad.

Great marathon. Lots of parking, very well organized, nice expo, lots of porta potties. Course is just beautiful, running along the MS river, nice bridges across the river, through the downtowns of the quad cities. Also a very flat course overall, just one big hill early in the race. The only problem this year (2014) was the heat. Would have been fine for the half, but the high was 83 and by 11:00 or so it was 75. And because it was full sun, not a cloud in sight, it sure felt hotter than 75 to me at 11. It was a hot day. But those things happen when have a marathon in late September. You can have a nice cool day, or you can have an unusually warm day. This one was hot. But great great marathon overall.

Enjoyable marathon. The expo and marathon were well organized and parking was easy. The course was scenic and nice except for a rough area on the island. Aid stations were well staffed, well spaced and well stocked. Finish line was well organized and stocked with everything one would need. My only complaint is the half marathon splitting and then rejoining the marathon course before splitting again. I cannot say why but it was a bit of an annoyance at the time. Personalized bib is a plus and the shirt is nice.

This is an excellent medium/small marathon with top the line organization, pretty course (for the most part) and easy logistics. Here are some points to consider: 1. Top of the line organization, good expo, nice pasta dinner option at the expo, easy parking, no traffic, easy logistics. 2. Mostly flat course. Two bridges and a few tiny bumps. No big deal (I'm from Pittsburgh...) 3. Very crowded first 2-3 miles. Full, half and relay runners run together. I'm not sure there is a good solution for that. 4. The half marathoners merge into the full course couple of times and you get to bump into the oblivious slow pokes. I don't think the organizers can do much about it. It is what it is. I didn't think it was such a big deal. You get to pass a lot of people and feel good about yourself. 5. Mile mark 20 and 26 are at the same spot. So when you go over the 20 miles timing mat you can hear the finish line and see people picking up the pace to finish and you have a tough 10K to run. Moreover, the last 6 miles are out and then back 3 miles on a desolate boring road. It's mentally challanging. At least it was flat. 6. Finish line is nicely organized with food and all. Medal is nice, shirt is nice and they give you your official results on the spot. 7. The only thing I would 'fix' for next year is have more Gatorade in the water stations in the last 6 miles. 8. Weather can be hot at the end of September. After 2-3 cool weeks, race weekend had 85F for highs. The 4+ hours marathoners had to deal with 80+ degrees. Nothing anyone can do about it. It's a matter of good/bad luck. I highly recommend this race.

Here are my Pros & Cons for the 2014 Marathon: Pros: 1) Good communication prior to the race via email & Facebook. Emails answered quickly, even the night before the race 2) Good packet pickup, done quickly. 3) Post race food, massages, chiropractic sessions were appreciated. 4) Lots of course volunteers, both at the aid stations & intersections. 5) Multiple Medical points along the course, taking good notice of racers who might be struggling. 6) Many points where musicians entertained us during the race. 7) 2 different places along the course where cool wet rags were handed out. The 2nd one, around mile 21-22 was a lifesaver for me. 8) I enjoyed the different towns & Arsenal Island to run thru. The Military Cemetery was quite touching. Cons: 1) Very little shade along the course. This was an issue for me, since the temps reached the 80's before we were done. 2) Course lists only 1 hill but some of the inclines over the bridges should be included as hills, in the course description. 3) Please rethink listing The Lodge as a hotel option for out-of-town runners. Once we pulled into the parking lot, we were hesitant to go any further. My wife did venture in and we quickly called to cancel our reservation and went to the Fairfield Inn.

This was a great race with views of the Mississippi River, crossing it on long bridges, and running on Arsenal Island in the middle of the river. Organization was great with lots of amenities. A few more hands at water stops would help. Fans along the way included musicians and cheerleaders. The course was mostly flat. The people were so nice and encouraging. The weather was clear if warm. Medal is very nice. Lots of parking. Well done, QCM. It was brilliant.

This was my 1st trip to the Quad City Marathon. I traveled here from NC with friends to run the race, hoping for a BQ. Here are the pros & cons Pros: 1. Great volunteers at the Expo (very helpful), on the course, at the water stops, and at the finish line 2. Location of race: we stayed at the Radisson which was the host hotel - perfect location, the start/finish was outside the front door on the street beside the hotel. Great rates also for marathoners! 3. Scenic course along the river 4. Great music/entertainers on the course 5. Very nice race shirt & medal 6. Water stops were plentiful except for the one exception noted below 7. Unusually hot day (75+) - they had cold towels at two locations for runners - excellent idea Cons: 1. Hillier than advertised, especially in the first 5 miles - there were several long hills but after that it flattened out except for a few more spots (bridge around mile 10 was a little tough too) - the second half was much flatter than the 1st half 2. Lot of course on cement which can be a little harder to run on 3. Water stop 24 - they closed it down before all the last runners made it through which was a little disappointing since the last runners were keeping the required pace. All in all even though I did not accomplish my time goal, the race itself was well organized. I would have trained on more hills had I known about the first 5 miles or so. I did not read the 2013 reviews so if I missed it, then that was on me. Congratulations to all the finishers today.

The Quad Cities Marathon got almost everything right, but the two things they missed were biggies. First, the stuff in the credits column: 1) Big, free parking lot made it easy to get to the expo and to the start line. 2) The course was attractive. There were few hills, and those that we did run up paid off with spectacular views of the river. Its also a fairly fast course; there are a good number of long straightaways. 3) Lots of course marshals. You are not going to make a wrong turn here. 4) Plenty of water stations (though one more around mile 24 would have been helpful). 5) The post-race spread was generous. And the two debits: 1) Not nearly enough toilets for that size of event. I've run enough races to know how to solve this problem on my own, but they weren't even close to meeting demand. 2) The marathon split from the half around mile 8. We then ran back into the half at our mile 14 and their mile 9. So now we were running with people going two or three minutes per mile slower than we were. To exacerbate it, the course there was a narrow path that could fit four, maybe five, people across. We had to slalom through the halfers for the next mile, and then again between miles 18 and 20. It was incredibly poor planning, which is surprising because the rest of the race seemed so well done. I was running three-hour pace, so that meant the halfers surrounding me were heading for somewhere around a 2:20, which I think is the sweet spot, so I probably got it worse than most of the other marathoners. Anyone going much slower or faster than me might not have noticed it. Nonetheless, I cant recommend this race unless they fix this. For more of the details, you can go here: http://traveldiaryofamadman.com/?p=63

Pros - Plenty of free parking near the start/finish line. Really scenic course. Lots of views of the Mississippi River and running on Arsenal Island was a treat. I'd rank this as the most visually interesting marathon that I've run. Great organization and volunteers at the expo and during the race. The race seemed to have a 'let's have fun' vibe to me. Volunteers at what seemed like every turn to make sure you stayed on the course. I was a little worried about that after looking at the map, but it was a complete non-issue. Spectators, bands, and music where it counted; the final 6 miles. Plenty of food and drinks available for the over 5 hour crowd and the beer was free! This is not always true for other races I've participated in, so kudos go to the RD for making sure that us back of the packers still get to enjoy the post-race party. The most on course food (orange slices, Gu) of any race I've participated in. Timing mats on the course so you get splits for your first, middle, and last 10k times. Cons - Gatorade was only available at some of the water stops. I'd like to have it at every stop. Not enough porta-potties on the course in the first 6 miles. If you needed to go, which I did, before the 1/2 marathoners split off, you either had to stop and wait, or find a tree (my solution.) Full disclosure, the weather was perfect and I shaved 18 minutes off my previous best time, so my review is probably being influenced a little by that! I'd recommend this race to anyone looking for an Illinois marathon. Also, I think it is a good race for first timers since the course is pretty flat (only 1 hill if you don't count the bridge ramps) and there are ample water stations and support on the course.