John Gaskill's Staging Area

The expo was small and uninspiring as there wasn’t alot of AF marathon specific items. The long sleeve T is nice and well made as is the medal. Pre-race highlights of parachuters and a F-35 flyover were cool. Due to expected high temps & humidity we were given the option to drop down to the half but didn’t. The race was red flagged early (first 30 minutes or so) but the water/aid stations were plentiful. THANK GOD!! There is almost no scenery, the base was deserted, there was almost no shade and while the towns people gave out popsicles they tasted funny (maybe it was just me). Leaving the base (@M20-21?) and running uphill on the highway on-ramp was brutal. I did ok the first half, but I had nothing left after mile 22 and spent a majority of the last 6M walking. The finish line is EPIC, running under the wings of aircraft!
The after-party was in the sun and I was cooked enough so I did not partake. Probably wouldn’t do again

A well run and organized event. Consistent updates from race directors kept me informed in the weeks leading up to… the hooded tech shirt is a great idea, and a very cool finisher’s medal top it off. The crowd support on the course was solid, and with water/aid stations every 2 miles along the way made it easy for runners to stay hydrated. The course had some small hills but wasn’t excessively hilly or flat…just varied enough to keep you pushing.
The massage tables at the finishers chute was great.
Cons…the Expo and post-race party were meh IMO.

From the moment I got to Chicago on Friday morning, there was a buzz everywhere for the marathon. The Expo was nice but with 48K runners too crowded for my tastes, so I got my stuff, and made a quick pass thru the vendors. The 5K on Saturday was well run and started in the same place as the marathon so I had an idea how Sunday would go. The marathon kicked off with perfect temps and an energized field. The energy from the runners and the crowd was infectious and I started off a bit faster than I would have liked but after 3 miles I settled into my pace and was cruising for 21 miles until a cramp slowed my pace around the 22M mark. On the course the Water/Gatorade stops were frequent and perfectly spaced IMO, porta-johns could have used a little more signage to easily identify locations, and the crowd support was PHENOMENAL! People were 3-4 deep at every mile…yelling, cheering, dancing, playing music, offering water, oranges, candy…and shots 🙂
The final half mile or so as you climb over the bridge and run down the chute to the finish is an amazing site and so worth it! A MUST race if you are a runner!

Stayed in a hotel just across the river and took the metro in for the expo and race. The Expo was well organized with all the usual vendors selling running gear. Thought the RnR clothing was over-priced but loved the shirts/hoodies with all the runners names on them. Nice touch with the encouraging message board as runners left the expo!
Race day logistics need work. Start time was 8am but Metro didn’t start running till after 7. I got to start line with about 20 minutes to spare, just enough time for gear check and porta-potty. Race corrals were a cluster, and I spent first 3-4 miles running around and thru slower runners/walkers. The scenery was great, finishing by the Capital was fantastic but that hill @mile 7 was killer. On course entertainment was good except for the DJ playing under the bridge/tunnel.
Post race treats and entertainment were good, and the Medal/Race shirt were very nice.