The Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon course is run on the same course as the Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon which is held in the fall. It consists of 8 laps of a flat route along the Fox River.
The 3.05 mile loop course (plus start spur) offers plenty of shade, scenic views of parks and forest preserves bordering the river, and a glimpse of downtown Batavia.
The paved trail along both sides of the Fox Valley River is very flat.
The Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon was the 293rd largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 287th largest in 2022.
Last year 36.3% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 38.5% of runners qualified for Boston in 2022.
This gives the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon the 11th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 11th highest percentage in 2022.
Its Course Score of 99.30 ranks it as the 143rd fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 4th fastest course in Illinois.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are within the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon a PR Score of 99.30. This PR Score ranks it as the 98th fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 3rd fastest in Illinois.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 695 feet (211m) Min Elevation: 668 feet (203m)
Hotel & VRBO Accommodations for the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon
View available accomodations around the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon Finish Line and Course. Book your Reservation now before the best places are sold out.
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It was a great race, even though the weather ended up being not ideal. Craig, race director, was very helpful with my many emails prior to the race. I really enjoyed having an elite style personal fueling table and also enjoyed the course very much (actually really liked that it was 8 loops - helped me know what to expect). The tee shirt material wasn't great but ultimately, I ran 3 minutes below my BQ time so that's the most important thing. What I didn't like was the company that was in charge of chip timing. It missed 1 or 2 of my laps and initially showed that I didn't finish the race! When I contacted the company, they were able to fix it quickly and show that I did finish the run, but my splits were totally messed up and they weren't able to fix it. Also, the email responses from them were short & rude.
Race Tips
I think there were more than 10 people who started out in our pacing group (3:51 for 3:55 BQ time) and I was the last one to stayed with the pacer. There were 3 different pacers who took turns pacing. I was with the last pacer until 21.5 miles or so when the heat & wind got the best of me. I thought since I was the last person with him that he would try to stay with me and help pace me but he went off on his own. I finished 3:52:02 so I wasn't that far off. Kinda wished he would have stayed with me... oh well
I stayed at Hilton Garden Inn in St. Charles since I'm a Hilton Gold member and it was fine. Nice, clean, spacious. Couldn't take advantage of their breakfast on the race day since they don't start until 7am. On Friday after we picked up the race packet, we ate at "Lao & Thai Spice Noodle" restaurant in South Elgin and it was great! I had Tom Yum Pho noodles along with their Laotian sausage and both were so delicious...
Anonymous's review of 2017 Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
The inauguration spring version of Last Chance BQ.2 has the perfect running weather, 40-50 with no or little wind. A small well organized race with friendly staffs.
Race Tips
The course is flat 8 loops around a lake which helps mentally since you know what's coming for the rest of the race once you run the first loop. If you like a flat course and try to BQ, this is the race for you. But I found out the hard way that my legs don't respond well with super flat course, they cramped up at mile 14 and multiple times along the way. I pushed on and still PRed but did not BQ, missed it by seconds. Elite bottle table was nice so you can drink anything you've trained with without having to carry it the whole way. There are two additional water stations beside the elite bottle table so you basically have access to water almost every mile. Pacer for my group ran a bit fast for first half but not significantly faster. Paramedics on course are very attentive, if they spot runners in distress they will approach by running along side you and check if you are doing ok. I was in a really bad place for my last loop, Joanna (paramedic) approached and ran with me the whole final loop, encouraging and checking on my conditions. My legs gave out a few hundred yards before the finish line causing me to miss my BQ. But overall, a great race and excellent staffs!
Race is in the park near downtown St Charles which has plenty of good restaurants to choose from. I went to Giordano's, not for deep dish pizza but simple spaghetti with marinara sauce. Good size portion and tasted great! Get there early so it's not too crowded since it's Friday evening. I went there at 5 pm and there were plenty of tables, by the time I left at 6:15 they were all filled up.
