Illinois Marathon Reviews & Race Reports
9 reviews from runners who've completed this race
Reviews & Race Reports
Early Miles and Crowd Support — The first few miles are urban and can feel crowded, especially with half marathoners mixing in. Many runners appreciated the community support, with families cheering throughout the neighborhoods.
Wind Exposure — The wind can be a challenge, particularly around miles 6-8. A few runners noted it was brutal in this section, so plan your pacing accordingly.
Struggled with wind and crowding in the early miles
The wind was brutal and it was definitely noticeable around miles 6-8. This is also part of the course the curls onto a bike path that goes around a park. The only problem is that it doesn't funnel very well so it ends up being super crowded. I was able to down a full gel while in the park too which was nice.
Survived the wall at mile 20 with a strong finish
And that's exactly what I did. Didn't push myself, just enjoyed the scenery and crowds around us. Truth be told, there isn't much to talk about for that first part of the race, other than the guy who puked somewhere between miles 3 and 4 (me to myself: "This early? Come on dude!"). Having so many crowds around was pretty nice, as well as the high fives from random people.
Fought through knee pain to achieve a 3:14 finish
Knee. Pain. I have to slow to a walk for 1/10 of a mile. The 3:15 pace group passes me, but they started a corral ahead of me, and even with the pee break question mark I think I have time in the bank. Back to running, it hurts, but I really want this 3:15. The only upside to the knee pain is that it overshadowed the "big" (about 80ft) hill by Champaign Country Club At mile 24.1, I take another 1/10 mi of walking, but now I'm determined to run it out.
Hit the wall at mile 24 after going out too fast
Weather and temperature was perfect, dry and low-mid 40s, calm wind. I felt good going into the race, which started on a downhill. I am not very good at keeping an even pace during races, and I went out a bit fast. I lost about 10 seconds around mile 3 from having to re-tie my shoes, which didn't help with my pace/effort estimation.
Survived the wall at mile 20 with family support and grit
And that's exactly what I did. Didn't push myself, just enjoyed the scenery and crowds around us. Truth be told, there isn't much to talk about for that first part of the race, other than the guy who puked somewhere between miles 3 and 4 (me to myself: "This early? Come on dude!"). Having so many crowds around was pretty nice, as well as the high fives from random people.