This annual race, with a Christmas theme, held in July offered several options, 5k, 6-hour, 6-hour relay, 12-hour, 24-hour. I signed up for the 12-hour race.

I had never done anything like this ever before. I have run 3 marathons, but the most recent one was 13 years prior.

This course is a 1-mile loop around a pond and a hill. There are a couple twists and turns, and some elevation changes, but it's pretty basic. It can become a bit repetitive, but that also has some advantages.

A lot a people thought I was nuts to run a 1-mle loop for 12 hours. But being my first time doing anything like this, I thought it would be good to have access to the well-stocked aid station every mile (located at the start/finish line). I also thought it would be good to learn the course and develop of rhythm (when to run, when to walk, when to drink, when to eat, when to stretch when to change shoes, etc). I think this played to my advantage.

The race started at 11pm. Although it was typical warm July weather, with highs in the low 80's, running through the night mitigated the heat. Temperatures were typical... low 60's. One not too favorable development was the rain. It started raining at about 3am and lasted until around 9am. At points during that 6-hour stretch of rain, it was an absolute downpour. Other than the heavy water-logged shoes, I felt the rain helped me stay cool.

All in all, I had a great experience. I completed 60 laps and finished as the 2nd place male overall. Some young ripped 29 year old won. I was pretty surprised and extremely satisfied what I accomplished as a 51 year old first time ultra runner.

A couple additional random comments about this race:

The aid station was awesome. And more importantly, the aid station workers were really awesome. They were very helpful and supportive.

I also found the fan support to be interesting. The race allowed people to set up tents along the course. This is both for runners and fans. So during the first 7 hours of the race, even though it rained for much of the time, the fan support was great. There were lots of fans along the "tent city" area cheering, dancing, singing, playing movies on a big screen, etc. But this was during the time all the races (6-hour solo, 6-hour relay, 12-hour, 24-hour) were taking place. Come 6 am, at least half the tents folded shop and left. So during the last 5 hours of my race, when I could have really used the fan support, most were gone.

Overall this was a great experience and I might come back some day and do it again, or try the 24-hour. But for now I plan to do a more traditional ultra for my next adventure.

I've run this marathon 3 times, each with a different experience based on what I was training for, the weather, and how it played out. But some things are consistent, such as the fast flat course and the incredible fan support.

My first race was in 2001. It was my first marathon ever and I was just hoping to finish. I ran slow and steady. I finished in 3:52 and didn't feel like I really challenged myself.

In my second Chicago marathon, I pushed pace more and finished in 3:29. This was probably my best experience.

In my third Chicago marathon, I followed a much harder training schedule with the goal of breaking 3:15. All my training analytics gave me confidence I could do it. In fact, my training predictor had me at 3:12. However, race day weather was very warm. I still tried to push myself and was on pace to break 3:15 at the 16 mile mark. But the heat took it's toll, and things started to fall apart in the last 10 miles. I finished in 3:36 and it was a pretty bad finishing experience.

Although I haven't done any other marathon, I can't imagine there being more fan support than you receive in Chicago. Fans line the streets and bridges for almost the entire 26.2. In fact, the fans are usually several people deep. In my second and third marathons, I wore my name on my shirt in big bold letters. The fans made me feel like a was a celebrity. My name was constantly being yelled out with cheers of support. It was very uplifting.

I highly recommend this marathon for anyone looking for a flat course with a lot of fan support. The only potential downside is the weather. The race is always in mid-October, which in Chicago means it is highly unpredictable. I'm sure you can look up the actual statistics, but my perception is that the weather is usually ok, but every few years there seems to be a real hot one.