Great course, timing of the race is very convenient for people training for the Chicago Marathon which comes 4 weeks later

This is a small marathon field (about 500 runners) however, I feel it is a great race for families because there is also a 1/2 marathon, 10k, 5k, and a walk. Plenty of water, gatorade, and GU on the race course (this is the first race where I did not carry anything with me). Also, the race started at 6am so we beat the heat!

I really enjoyed the first half of the marathon running in the downtown area. I was glad to have music for the second half, as the weather was a little cold and you run in the neighborhoods--so not many spectators. Loved that there were big orange balloons on every mile marker--I could see the miles from a good distance. Great finish on the field and another race with a distance for everyone to participate!

Love this race! The course is hilly and scenic. Also, there is a marathon, half marathon, 10k, 8k, and 2 mile walk. Something for every member of the family and we make a great weekend out of the event!

My first Ironman ever and what a great venue to this. I wrote a blog about it. Check out our blogs section

This was my first international marathon experience. Tokyo Marathon is a very well organized marathon, every detail has been well thought of. The course has a total 7000 feet elevation according to my Garmin, especially towards the end there are plenty of over bridges that take a toll on the tired legs. Not my best time, but definetely my best marathon experience

This race should be shut down until the roads are repaired and more people are available to organize the race. It is very unsafe and dangerous for nearly 200 road bikes to race on a substandard highway with massive pot holes, washouts and long gravel stretches. Bikers had to find what little smooth road existed and line up single file which almost resulted in several crashes and wipe outs... not to mention a large number of drafting penalties. I have ridden down totally gravel roads that were more structurally sound than that highway! For a race of this size it is ridiculous that at least 5 people had DNF's because of tire damage. The race info said the roads were not great but not that bad by Louisiana standards...incredibly misleading- they were terrible. Traffic was only controlled at turning points and although the speed limit was low, most of the traffic flew around bikers. At some point race organizers will have to take some responsibility for the road condition, even if that means canceling racing at this location. There were no officials or aid stations at the turn around on the bike OR the run. Major hazards had NO markings; the only paint on the road was blue writing that said "turn here". Several large road kill critters were not removed from the roadway. I wonder if race organizers even DROVE the course!!! Minor irritation - race info also said there would be water, gels and gatorade on the run...water only. And THREE porta potties for nearly 200 very hydrated racers and spectators? I have raced at this venue many times before and it has never been so poorly run. I won't do this race again and don't recommend it to anyone!

This race has my favorite running shirt, maybe of all time. The logo of a cop with a night stick in a running pose is awesome! I ran the race this morning and was happy with the event.

This was a pretty good race overall. I thought that it was well organized and safe for the participants. There was some difficulty to keeping cars in their lane during the roundabouts, but nothing too bad. There were only 2 aid stations, but one covered both sides of the road a little over 1 mile into the run. This gave you another chance at about 1.5 miles to get a drink or another one. Bike and running courses were fairly flat and the roads were in pretty good condition. Very good for newbies or those wanting to work on their transitions.

Hilly course, but I was a minute off my PR, so if you train on hills, this is a good race to partake in.

This was my 3rd marathon in 6 months. Compared to Chicago and Vegas this marathon is more "rural", but the course is flat. Only 2 short climbs which are in the first half of the marathon. The section on the boardwalk can be windy at times. The support throughout the course is great, great pace teams. Overall a well orginazed race.

A ho-hum, fairly flat course, much of which is on paths. Lots of aid stations with a varitey of nurtrition options. Definitely wear a costume - I wish I had worn one!

This was my first race this past year. Very well organized with lots of helpful volunteers and local sponsors- the race has been held for the past ~28 years. The course is very flat and easy to navigate/well-marked. It is crowded, there were close to 1,600 finishers last August. But, it was so well organized that with the exception of the swim start (you start 4 at a time) I wasn't aware of the number of competitors. Naperville is a nice area too. I did some quality pre-race eating at the Flat Top Grill and the Pita Pit. Good post race food and nice finisher medals.

2010 was the inaugural race and as you would expect it has a few kinks to work out, which is the only reason why I am recommending the race- it should get better. Heard not so great things about D3's event planning, and they planned it the same weekend as a Notre Dame home football game! Someone flunked event planning 101. The park is gorgeous. Very flat, easy trail. The run portion should change a fair amount in 2011 as the trails were poorly marked and unknowledgeable volunteers were giving racers wrong directions. In addition some idiot from D3 was riding his bike on the narrow run paths through competitors which made no sense. Crap post-race food.

For those who want to get away from the rain/cold weather of Chicago or the boredom of training indoors for the past 5 months, head to Florida for St. Anthony's Triathlon in April. It is the kick off race for the triathlon season and you will definitely see the top names in the triathlon world at this venue. For a Chicago native, this race challenged me in every element but plan on going back next year.

A few things that I under estimated, the heat, wind and salt water. Normally, training in Chicago we do not have the heat play a role in our training until June/July. We slowly build up our endurance to get acclimated to the heat come July/August. This played a huge role in my first Olympic in several years (throwing out the window the past three years of half ironmans) and my first race in 7 months. Also, this was first open "salt" water race. I have never been sea sick until this race. Not a good thing going into T1. The bike course is flat but can be very windy from the spring storms to the north. The run course wraps around the city through the historic district and is very flat but the heat is the key factor.

The city and neighborhoods love this race and are out there supporting the participants. A well organized race from start to finish. The expo and post race festivities were great. The drawback is that it is expensive, $150 for race and airfare. I stayed with a friend to save on the hotel costs and rented a descent tri bike for $50 to save on shipping expenses of my bike.

Just finished this race for 2010 (did it once before in 2008) and will definitely put it back on my calendar for 2011. Swim is a swim. Bike is is excellent rolling hills, with a few short climbs and a few flats on which you can open up. One of my favorite bike courses of the races I have done in the Midwest. If you don't save a little bit for the run, you could be in trouble. 98% of the course is a challenging up and down trail/grass run that prevents you from getting into a groove. Good early season challenge to let you know how much work you have to do for the rest of the season.

Incredible race experience. This is one of the toughest races I have done even compared to IM. Over 15,000 feet of climbing in southern Ohio's beautiful foothills. 140+ miles. Spectacular training weekend and awesome to meet new people.

Great race in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago, IL. The Community really supports the event as they come out to cheer. This is actually the first race I ever ran as a child, I still have the race bib!

Come out and race with the biggest and the best...and the shortest and the slowest. There is something for everyone. Great prizes, fabulous food and a great after party.

A well organized event hosted by Multisport Madness. The course starts/ends in downtown Batavia on the banks of the Fox River. There are hills that challenge the course around the river but for the most part, it is relatively flat. Parts of the course are along the Fox River which adds to the scenery. Great post race festivities. Due to the success of this race in '09, MSM added the 10K.

I have done this race 3 times. Everytime I stand at the start of the race waiting for my wave to go off swearing I will never do it again but I always come back. The course is well marked and it is a perfect distance for an early tri. The swim is short, the bike is 25 miles on a relatively flat course, and the run is an 8K on a trail. This is a really casual race -- I don't even think they have chip timing. Every year there is a threat of thunderstorms and every year the weather has ended up perfect. Maybe this year I will take home an AG award.

I did the inaugural Illinois Half Marathon last year. I have done inaugural races in the past so I wasn't expecting much from this race. I was pleasantly surprised by this race starting with packet pick-up. When I went to get my shirt, they were out of my size. Instead of having me take a Men's XL, they offered to mail me a women's small. That was refreshing! Day of the race it was cold. They let us stand in Assembly Hall and use the WARM bathrooms. The race course was well marked, scenic, and had ample water stations. Volunteers were great, there were spectators, and finishing on the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium was very memorable. I can't wait to do it again this year.