I appreciated not having to take a bus to the start since the marathon course is a loop. I showed up early to use the facilities, hand off my drop bag, and grab a spot to sit by the corrals. I was seeded in the A corral but I made my way to A-B border to not fall into the trap of the start-line surge. The 7:35am start time had us waiting in cooler weather. I ran the first 5k by feel and noticed some slight GPS drift, but after we crossed the river going north, I tried to settle into race pace. Turning around by Wrigley at Mile 8, I had found my rhythm and focused on getting back to the Loop for the halfway mark. The neighborhood crowds and cheer groups from miles 14-20 kept the race interesting as the weather kept heating up. My favorite parts of the race are always Pilsen and Chinatown, and that started my push for the final 10k. Heartbreak/Nike's speaker wall cheer station at mile 23.5 was a good reminder that we had less than a 5k to go. The northbound miles back to the park had me throwing water on myself as the heat was taking its toll. The last 800m features a hard right onto "Mount Roosevelt", the rudest bridge incline, that quickly becomes a 90deg left turn with a 200m sprint finish.

This was my first ever marathon and I thought it was a great way to kick off my marathon running phase! It was an approachable first marathon, well organized and very pace inclusive. It started early and finished early compared to other world major marathons. I would absolutely do this race again.

First marathon and loved it! Lots of great energy during the run. Loved all the signs and specially Nike’s ones.