Choosing the right fall marathon involves more than just picking a date; it's about aligning your goals with the perfect course, location, and conditions. FindMyMarathon.com is your essential resource in this exciting process, offering an extensive listing of fall races and powerful tools to pinpoint your ideal event.
The Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon course is 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 Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon was the 237th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 221st largest in 2023.
Last year 70.8% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 58.8% of runners qualified for Boston in 2023.
This gives the Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon the 3rd highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 2nd highest percentage in 2023.
Its Course Score of 99.30 ranks it as the 150th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 3rd fastest course in Illinois.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are above the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon a PR Score of 97.19. This PR Score ranks it as the 321st fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 8th fastest in Illinois.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 695 feet (211m) Min Elevation: 668 feet (203m)
Hotel & VRBO Accommodations for the Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon
View available accomodations around the Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon Finish Line and Course. Book your Reservation now before the best places are sold out.
For a better mobile or desktop experience:
How Fast Can You Go?
If you ran the Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon in 4:20:00, what would your time in other marathons be?
See how your race times would compare on other marathon courses with our time conversion tool.
This little race made you feel a part of something special. It was great to be with so many like-minded people running a race. I felt like everyone-the organizers, the spectators, and fellow runners wanted everyone to achieve their BQ!
I got a PR on this course and improved my BQ buffer to 9:30 which would prove to be so important this year (2025) for Boston since B.A.A. cut off a whopping 6:50 from your qualifying times! This race made my life long dream come true. I had never done a looped marathon course like this before but I actually loved it. It's so easy for spectators or friends and family to stay in one place & see you at least 8 times. The support was actually fantastic for such a small race. The course was so flat my body hardly experienced soreness after. The loops made planning so easy. YOU WILL KNOW the course, where the bathrooms are, etc. The elite table truly spoiled me! I wish every marathon let us line up our bottles containing our personal fuel that we could swig from & then toss & then have another bottle each consecutive map.
The organization for this race was too notch. No surprises. Super easy flow. Loved how they cheered us all on before and during the race overhead about achieving our BQ’s! So many tears of joy at the finish line, including my own!
We also had never been to Geneva & fell in love with the town & its charm. We stayed at Herrington Inn- highly recommend. I got the massage here after. We even met the mayor of Geneva during our stay.
Thank you, thank you? Last Chance BQ.2 for making my dreams of running Boston finally come true. Boston Marathon was amazing but I'll never forget which race finally got me there!
Race Tips
Follow the temps closely. My last loop was getting more hot & required extra electrolytes. Bring extra salt tabs & just take them when you think you not them, not just during a pre-determined interval in your mind.
Don't stress about getting to the start. You literally park your car and then cross the street into the park. Also if you do a shake out run on your own the day before & get surprised you get a little lost after the bridge (like me)- don't stress. On race day there are plenty of volunteers & other runners-you won't get lost.
CAN's review of 2022 Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
I loved the logistical ease and friendliness of this race. The course and pacers are great, and it's a race where you can show up and run without anything complicated. For a small race, the crowd support is really great and the race volunteers are so enthusiastic and friendly. I smashed my PR and got my BQ (minus almost 5 minutes). I would definitely do this race again!
Race Tips
The race offers a 5k course preview run at 4pm the night before the 6:30am race -- I did not do this because my coach and I decided that I should do my shakeout in the morning rather than the late afternoon. I was not hindered in any way. The course is an 8 mile loop and is fool proof. So, if you don't want to run a 5k the night before your very early morning start, then don't sweat it. You don't need to. Also, you are treated like an elite athlete and allowed to have your own personal drinks table with 7 bottles - take advantage of this! I used this as an opportunity to get more carbs on board and, at the end when the sun was warming up, more sodium/electrolytes. Take advantage of everything that is offered! I arrived at the race at about 6:10am for the 6:30am start and it was perfect timing. Got my personalized bottles situated and headed to the start line to meet my pacer and the rest of the pace group.
I used VRBO to find a wonderful river-front cottage 10 min from the race start and then went to the Heritage Inn and Spa down the street for a massage after the race. Sublime.
The Fairfield Inn - St. Charles is a 10 min drive from race course, my room did not have a microwave, make sure you pick the right room if you need it.
The race organizers do everything they can to help you qualify for Boston. All runners are treated like elite athletes: every time around the course (8 laps), you can pick up your own bottle and/or energy snacks from a series of tables, refuel, and then about 200 yards after throw the bottle at a drop zone target for volunteers to put back onto the table for you the next time you pass by. Your bib number encodes your BQ time, e.g. bib 315xx means 3hr 15min is your goal time, so you instantly have friends to pace with. Weather is the only question mark with this race. Average temperature is in the mid 60s, but in 2015, it was 51F, which was perfect for racing.
Race Tips
The 2015 race was small. The running path is about 4 runners wide for most of the course. The course was not closed off for marathon runners only - there were a few casual joggers and bicycle riders going in the same or opposite direction as the marathon, but they were courteous and moved over for us.
The course has 8 loops. This is a bonus because it ensures no surprises in the course after the first 3.5 miles and that you can maximize utility of your elite table. The course crosses 2 short bridges. The first time across, my legs felt weird and my balance was a little off -- it was a bit like walking on a ship at sea and the impact is completely different than running on asphalt. But, I quickly got used to it. There one oddity was that due to construction, the race course detoured through a McDonald's parking lot!
