Charlottesville Marathon vs Chicago Marathon — Marathon Comparison

NG's review of 2024 race.   

Review

I have the same opinion with others, but this is poorly organized. The distance is not correctly measured, and the route is complex but pooly signed. The half marathon distance in this race in 2022 was nearly 13.5 miles. It is unclear if we run on the right or left on a narrow trail, so we will need to find a path to avoid runners running in the opposite direction! Route signes are on the road only, so we could also take a wrong route.

Race Tips

Competitive runners should not run in the race. In addition to the chance of taking a wrong route, there are lots of hills and steep turns.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

JB's review of 2018 race.   

Review

I was looking for a smaller race. Although this race was small, it was poorly organized and executed. The expo was outside in the rain and wind. The course marshals were not alert ( sleeping, kissing, etc.) The course was crazy- very hilly and then a hill at the end (after mile 25.) I heard from another runner it was measured wrong ( 26.6 miles)!

Race Tips

Do tons of hill training. Don't expect to use a porta-potty. There were not enough, and spectators were in line in front of marathoners. Bring warm clothes and your own food.

or just do Philadelphia instead

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Charlottesville is a beautiful city with lots of running stores, paths, etc. Charlottesville 10 miler is an awesome race which is why I thought this would be better. Easy to get a hotel and get to start. Start and finish at same location with available parking. Some of the course includes trail running.

Adam Devine's review of 2017 race.   

Review

I ran this race on a whim, signing up the day before with my wife while on the train down to Charlottesville for a wedding. She signed up for the half marathon. I was in the middle of training for an ultra, and I was planning on doing a 22 mile tun that day anyway, so I decided to give it a go.

Pros: The course is beautiful! I used to live in Cville and the course winds through some of the prettier parts. There was plenty of water, gatordade, and gels on the course. As someone who is used to New York Road Runners events the pre and post-race festivals were small, but relatively well run affairs with very friendly staff. The course was well marked, and the portable toilets were clean.

Cons: Not enough Port-A-Potties! At the start there was a HUGE line for the one set of bathrooms. The course is wicked hilly, and seems to be a little sadistic in the fact that they put a huge incline right at the end. There were a couple of points on the course where drivers annoyingly honked at runners because roads were not fully shut down.

Overall: A great small town marathon. The only major hiccup was the line to poop pre-race. I missed the start by 4 minutes because I was waiting to use the loo.

Race Tips

Pace yourself extra conservatively. The really hilly bits are near the end, and toward the warmer part of the day, so it is tough.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Arrive to the festival early, drop your bag early, and poop early. Just stay at the OMNI downtown if you can get a room. It's a nice hotel and super close to the race start. Grab some bagels at Bodos while you're in town.

RB's review of 2017 race.   

Review

I am usually slow to criticize but...Pre race packet pick up was just pathetic. Parking was nearly impossible just to get there, general atmosphere of people was "what are you even doing here". Beautiful start, beautiful rolling course.

Race Tips

Bring your own TP if you are not staying at a hotel w/in walking distance of start.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Lots of places to stay, closer to start would be best. Good luck on parking.

Nate's review of 2013 race.   

Review

The course is very scenic and the town has a great atmosphere. The race, unfortunately, is very poorly organized -- in 2013 the mile markers did not seem to be accurate (some with GPS watches indicated that mile marker 2 was actually closer to 2.5, for example), and the course lacked clocks reflecting time elapsed since the start. I've tried this race twice but won't be back, since it seems its organization hasn't improved.

Race Tips

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Jennifer Thompson's review of 2024 race.   

Review

My very first marathon was Chicago 2024. I don't have a lot of experience but I was impressed with the sheer logistics to make it all work and how fluid everything was. I had a great experience that I did the lottery once again and got in! So I am doing it in 2025. My only negative was that it was the hardest part of my life to get from the finish line to the family waiting area. It was a very long walk for runners after a marathon to make. I understand with the sheer amount of people that participated that likely things had to be that way but all I wanted to do was sit down and they volunteers kept telling us to not sit and keep walking

Race Tips

Bring your own electrolytes because all they have is Gatorade and I think that is not great. Also use the bathroom before you leave your hotel. The lines are awful in the queue

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Get a hotel early!!

msb's review of 2022 race.   

Review

2022 marathon was well organized with great conditions and super organization. The crowds were great along the route and the course was super fast. Having the start/finish downtown makes the logistics much easier than New York and Boston and its nice to not have to head out so early if you are staying in a hotel downtown. I really thought the organization was incredible and there was even a place to warmup which I've never had access to at other big city marathons. The corral system worked great with being able to get up to speed quickly.

Race Tips

It was my first experience with following the blue line for the shortest distance and it made it easy to run the tangents without knowing the course. Its really flat with a tiny hill in the last half mile that feels like a mountain

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Book early through the marathon website for best access to hotels at a still slightly unreasonable price but far better than doing it later by yourself. Make sure you get yourself into the best corral possible for the start if you are aiming for a PB and check in with the Nike pace group at the expo.

Andy's review of 2018 race.   

Review

Super well organized for how many people are involved. Did not like that they advise getting to your corral 2 hours prior to the race. 1) it's not necessary, 2) if you do, you'll lose all of your warm clothing and stand in the cold/rain until the start. Watch the weather - if rain is forecast definitely have disposable clothing or trash bags to use to keep warm. Overall, the race was great. Super well supported, flat, pacers were perfect, etc.

Race Tips

The course winds through a ton of fun chicago neighborhoods. Tons of people will be cheering you on, which is great. The hardest part for me was miles 18-22ish, where physical and mental fatigue really hit me. Watch out for the bridges crossing the river - the surfaces are metal grates and only part is covered by carpet.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Book early to stay close to the start/finish area. Getting around the city on race weekend is difficult.

The expo is very busy. It opened at 9am on Saturday morning. Lots of people showed up early and queued up thinking it was necessary. At 9am the event opened and everybody just piled in. Short story - don't bother getting in line :).

BAB's review of 2018 race.   

Review

This race lets you run unimpeded through one of the greatest cities in the world. The race takes you to and through 29 neighborhoods running between tall skyscrapers, gorgeous parks, the lake, and over the river. Always interesting. I ran Boston in the spring and Chicago in the fall and enjoyed Chicago much more. I especially liked the relatively short time between when you show up and when you run. I arrived at Grant Park at 6:30 and was running by 7:30. Do not underestimate the beauty of this City.

Race Tips

Unlike the other large marathons I have run (i.e., New York and Boston), the Chicago marathon actually let me run my best race. The corrals for the first wave are tightly matched for time (the corral I was assigned to included runners with entry times within a ten minute window), the result was that I did not need to expend energy dodging runners in the early miles before settling into my pace. Also, because the corrals narrow to a bottleneck then widen again within a few yards of the start line, you may be walking for a few minutes after the race starts, but by the time you cross the start line runners are relatively spread out and running at a race pace. Further, this course is the flattest course I have ever run. Many courses will be described as flat or downhill when they are really rolling, i.e., much of the course is either uphill or downhill in small increments. The Chicago course is flat, as in, not only are there no long inclines (the bridges crossing the river are the biggest hills you face), there are also very few dips or hills of any kind. The result is that you will be able to run miles and miles at essentially the same pace. Further, many of the roads are wide with only small inclines at the edge for drainage. Accordingly, you do not have to run at an angle on the edge of the road trying to keep your pace. Given the consistency of the course, the best pacing strategy is to run at the same pace through every mile of the race.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Corrals opened at 5:30, but having arrived at Grant Park at 6:30 I had plenty of time to get to my starting position (in Corral C) by 7 for a 7:30 start. Note that I was not storing any gear, so this saved some time. Stay near the finish line, it is also near the start, and will make your race day experience much nicer.

ELK's review of 2018 race.   

Review

The crowds are great, sometimes it's detrimental that they're so far in the street that runners are pushed into the middle lanes, but otherwise really fun. It's a flat course, and if the weather cooperates it's fast.

Race Tips

Even splits or negative splits work well for this flat course. Don't go out to fast for sure, it's easy to speed up b/c it is so flat and the crowds are good.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

There's more than enough restrooms, they might not be right next to your bag check but make sure to look around instead of waiting in a 30 min bathroom line in the AM.