Chicago Half Marathon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Katrina R.
wyoming, IL

  (08-02-2011)

"I ran this race in 2010 as my first half marathon, and I absolutely loved it! It was just a great experience. I'm a slower runner, so I love bigger races - that way I'm not finishing at the back of the pack all by myself ;) With 14,000+ runners, this race was perfect, there were always other runners near me and best of all - thousands of runners behind me! Having said that, running on Lake Shore Drive (which was completely closed to traffic) meant that there was plenty of room for all of the runners to move. The beginning of the race was a bit congested, but that was to be expected and it soon thinned out. The view running north on LSD was gorgeous with the lake on the side and the Chicago skyline in the distance. The view coming back was a bit boring, though. I enjoyed the out and back course along LSD because it allowed me to see the elite runners and wheel chair racers ahead of me, which was really interesting - those elites are amazing! I was also able to look for my husband who's a faster runner and was running ahead of me. Kept me entertained for a bit. Crowd support was good, not great, but it was enough. Plenty of food, drinks, medals and photographers at the finish. Nice family meeting area that was marked well and easy to find. Had some trouble locating the shuttles back to downtown after the race, their locations weren't marked well at all. But that was the only negative of the entire race - I had a great time running 13.1 miles! "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Ray C.
Chicago, IL

  (09-12-2010)

"Great race. The course is good, but its on the actual Lake Shore Drive way, which meant very limited shade."

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2010

Rebecca T.
Chicago, IL

  (09-17-2009)

"This was my first half marathon ever and it was a good experience! At first, I did not like the fact that the race was so far south, but we got to see part of the skyline while running. There seemed to be a lot of room. During the first mile, there was some slight congestion and hard for me to run my pace. I think people were not good about lining up at the right spot. The crowd was awesome! So encouraging, especially for the last mile! There were aid stations about every 1.5-2miles. I wish they had more at the end (vs. the beginning). It started getting hotter and we were more tired. I kept looking for the hydration stations. The course was well marked and there was no confusion. At the end, there was plenty of food and drinks. I also really liked our medals! I though it was a little chaotic after the race, but I have no comparison. It was a good first half marathon to run! They do a good job of getting you excited in the beginning.

Overall, great race! I would do it again."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Mo .
Chicago, IL

  (09-17-2009)

"This was my first half marathon and despite the pouring 9 inch rain, was a good experience overall. The hydration stations were abundant and the course was relatively flat. We did not drive to the race and took the bus from the W hotel.

The organization of the race wasn't great - my running partner and I left our personal belongings in tents and upon return, were asked to fish through the piles to locate our own. The buses that were suppose to pick up the racers was also delayed (not sure this was due to the rain). I attended the 2009 race to cheer on a friend and it seems like they have fixed some of the logistical issues. "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008

Chanthana T.
Chicago, IL

  (09-16-2009)

"This was my 6th half marathon but 1st Chicago Half Marathon. I heard they changed the course from previous years. I really liked having Lake Shore Drive to ourselves vs. running on 1 or 2 lanes. This gave us middle-of-the-pack runners more elbow room! It was a warm, humid day so it would have been nice to have wet sponges available for us at the halfway point. I would run it again. However, I do have a couple of criticisms: the race started late, and there are no start corrals like they have for the RnR or 13.1 series.
Lastly, I'll remember this as a great race because I PR'd :-)"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Jacob C.
Chicail, IL

  (09-14-2009)

"This was my first half marathon and I did it in preparation for the full marathon in October. From my experience everything was laid out pretty well and people did not have a hard time finding what they needed to before the race, most importantly the gear checks and bathrooms.

The race was delayed by about 10 minutes because they were closing lake shore drive, but the course overall was gorgeous. Pretty flat and a lot of exposure to the lake. The one downside of that is there is no protection from the sun. This normally shouldn't be a problem because September is normally cool but this year it was around 75 degrees when the race began and a few trees certainly would have helped.

There were hydration stations every 2 miles. They were on only one side of the course and caused a little congestion. It would have been better if the hydration stations were on either side of the road for easier access but I know that would have required more manpower which might have been difficult.

Overall I was very happy with the race. Well organized, beautiful course, healthy participation. The free shirts are also good quality which is a big plus."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Jin N.
Chicago, IL

  (09-14-2009)

"So many half marathon are clumped together with a full that sometimes, doing a half seems like "just" a half. The Chicago Half Marathon's headliner is the half marathon. The course is flat, well specatated and supported. All 20,000 runners must have enjoyed it.


A majority of the run takes place on Lake Shore Drive so if the race is a bit delayed, as it was this year, it's only to ensure that the course is free of car traffic. =)

Running on Lake Shore Drive also means there is no shade from the sun. I tried to find some tall people to run near their shadow around mile 9 as the heat was getting to me. But at that hour in the morning, even tall people have short shadows...alas. Heheha...

There was bike parking set up on the tennis court at the park where the race took place. Close to gear check.

This was a fun race and I would certainly do this race again. "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Andy K.
Chicago, IL

  (06-03-2009)

"Awesome race. This was my first endurance race ever. Cool Southside Chicago neighborhoods and a great finish near the Museum of Science and Industry. Would definitely recommend this one. "

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2008