Located in the heart of southern Illinois, the Shawnee Marathon is the premier Marathon in the region. This is a certified Boston Marathon Qualifier course! What is the number one outdoor recreation tourist attraction in the State of Illinois? What do runners, walkers, hunters, fishermen, bicyclists, hikers, sightseers, birdwatchers, horseback …
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Located in the heart of southern Illinois, the Shawnee Marathon is the premier Marathon in the region. This is a certified Boston Marathon Qualifier course!
What is the number one outdoor recreation tourist attraction in the State of Illinois? What do runners, walkers, hunters, fishermen, bicyclists, hikers, sightseers, birdwatchers, horseback riders, campers, families and other lovers of the great outdoors know that you might want to know about? The Shawnee National Forest is the answer to both questions!
The Shawnee Marathon is nestled in beautiful Southeastern Illinois, Saline County, near the City of Harrisburg. The area is known as the Gateway to the Shawnee National Forest. Perhaps, it is best known as being Garden of the Gods Country!
Once you’ve seen the Shawnee National Forest, the Garden of the Gods and other Saline County area natural wonders, you’ll never see Illinois the same way again. With its jaw dropping natural beauty, the area’s landscape is one of the most scenic areas in the Midwest featuring sandstone rock formations, high vistas, rolling meadows, tall trees, acres of farmland, fresh air, and just a serene overall atmosphere.
After completing the Marathon, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t travel the short distance to the Garden of the Gods, which features 320 million year old sandstone rock formations and inspiring views that will leave you with lasting memories.
The Shawnee Marathon is under new management beginning in 2016. Run To Succeed, LLC has taken over ownership of the event. Our goal is to improve upon previous years and provide the best marathon in the region.
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Perfect weather if you love rain...
Overall Rating: Tough race with rainy conditions then heat. Course Difficulty: Lots of big hills at the beginning and flattening out after halfway. A couple of unsupported major highway crossings. … MORE
Overall Rating: Tough race with rainy conditions then heat.
Course Difficulty: Lots of big hills at the beginning and flattening out after halfway. A couple of unsupported major highway crossings. Nice course.
Course Scenery: About as good as it gets for southern Illinois. Start at Garden of the Gods SP and ends downtown Harrisburg.
Race Production: Not great this year. I give a lot of grace to RD’s, especially during COVID season. The aid stations/volunteers were lacking, as was course support. At the end of the race, runners had to snake their way through the stage area of a local festival to get to finish line. I think there could have been a little better option logistically, but I was happy to see this race happen.
Race Swag: Had a repeat medal and shirts from a previous year. Not casting any stones, as each participant received two long sleeve tech shirts and it is a nice medal…just expected it to be different as a repeat runner.
My Performance: Not awesome. Started off on a PR pace running in a nice warm rain, then the rain stopped and the leg cramps started (only my second race with leg cramps), which I credit partly to the lack of salty foods, drinks, or GU at aid stations. All in all not a terrible day.
Final notes: I make an intentional effort not to blame others for my outcomes. At the end of the day, I am thrilled that this race happened and love the work that the RD is doing! If anything, I should have shown up with more than a water bottle…so all good!
A rainy and windy race...
In speaking with the RD, due to complications with local municipalities, this is likely the last year for this race in its current form. The Shawnee Marathon has been a … MORE
In speaking with the RD, due to complications with local municipalities, this is likely the last year for this race in its current form.
The Shawnee Marathon has been a true representation of Southern Illinois scenery, and has provided local runners with an outstanding opportunity to gain access to a quality marathon without breaking the bank. This years medal is one of the best I have received at any race to date, and the volunteers willingness to stand in the wind and rain, shows some serious dedication to the runners.
I’m a little sad to see this one go, as it was my hometown marathon and the first race that I ran with any of my kids; but looking forward to the next iteration and the continued chance to give runners access to some of southern Illinois’ hidden scenery.
Good day for the new route
Overall Rating: Very good. Course Difficulty: Much more challenging with the new course. Several large hills over the first 6 miles Course Scenery: Much nicer than the previous course, a … MORE
Overall Rating: Very good.
Course Difficulty: Much more challenging with the new course. Several large hills over the first 6 miles
Course Scenery: Much nicer than the previous course, a good view of Southern Illinois.
Race Production: It was ok. Not super crazy about the pre-race info stream, and there was an issue with a long distance between aid stations…I’m sure they’ll get that worked out. All else was good; packet pickup was smooth, shuttles were no problem.
Race Swag: Meh…didn’t love the designs, but it was a quality medal and shirt…just personal preference.
My Performance: All good. Ran the race with some friends and adjusted to their pace.
Final notes: I plan to run this race every year as it is my hometown marathon. It’s a small race (50 in the marathon), but the course is improving and overall seems to become more credible each year.
Nice hometown run
Overall Rating: Good. No issues, and started on time. Course was chilly, but nice. Course Difficulty: Rolling hills, and some gravel. This course had a little more traffic than I'm … MORE
Overall Rating: Good. No issues, and started on time. Course was chilly, but nice.
Course Difficulty: Rolling hills, and some gravel. This course had a little more traffic than I’m used to, but still very manageable.
Course Scenery: This is southern Illinois at it’s best. a nice scenic run through the hills while the leaves are changing. Very pretty.
Race Production: Ok. It seemed a little disorganized at times, but everything went as planned, so all in all it was fine.
Race Swag: Good medal, choice of this years or last, and nice long sleeve shirt.
My Performance: Good, managed a PR on a really cold and windy day; likely because it is my hometown and I got to sleep in my own bed the night before.
I’m usually out of town the weekend of this race, but happened to be here this year. Enjoyed running close to the house.