Great race, plus you can earn the Triple crown by completing this Fox valley marathon, the Chicago marathon, and the Naperville half...or the valley and the ville from just Naperville half and Fox valley. Definitely arrive early, as parking can be a nightmare ( not as bad as Fox valley if you don't get the garage parking). It's just odd that charity VIP is the furthest thing from the starting line.

First off, you can't go wrong with a race at Montrose Harbor... it's a rare occasion that you can actually park by the race, avoid having to go to gear check if you get there early enough to park close, and plenty of porta potties! They also had decent bbq ( for the price you pay for race entry) and a cute medal! I also leveled up to Jupiter status in half fanatics because I did this back to back with the Naperville half! Definitely not difficult. Fun crowd of people and fun band!

Was about the easiest packet pickup ever! It wasn't much to rave about but they made it very convenient, so I won't complain. And running the magnificent mile was a nice preview for the Chicago marathon, as you go across the bridge, just be careful. There's no red carpet that day!!! But it is a very beautiful view, easy parking, clearly marked gear check, not too crowded corrals. And can be used towards the run this town medal!

But dont expect much. Consider this a fun run. Bikers will block you. College swag is cool and definitely some neat photo ops, but there's definitely no tailgate unless you have been to totally lame tailgates before. There wasn't enough food for everyone except for one piece of chicken sausage ..and I went to football and baseball tailgates and this wasn't even an appetizer! I just ran 7 miles and all I get is a fake sausage!!!