Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon

This was my fifth marathon here and although I failed in my quest, I loved the experience here. I still like the bottle table, but would have preferred how it was in the past when the bottles were returned to the table. My only negative comment would be the Gatorade at both stations. It was extremely watered down and thus didn’t provide any help on a warm sunny day.

This race is consistent and well organized, with great consideration of the needs of the runners. The one criticism I have is the pacing. When I ran this race 3 years ago, I had a great pacing group the first half, and then a very poor pacing group the second half. This year, our pacers went out much too fast. By the halfway point, only one of the 8-10 runners that started with them remained. On a hot and humid day, it was not ideal to start at a faster pace and try to bank time. I would have preferred a slower start and a faster second half, but trusted the pacers to adjust - they just never really did. I did not hit my time, and should have run my own race - but figured these experienced pacers could be trusted to know the course. I was very disappointed, and disappointed about the photography being unavailable now as well.

Be prepared to change your goals based on weather, and don't rely solely on pacers.

Get there early to allow time for parking, walking and putting bottles onto the appropriate table.

This is the second time I’ve run the last chance BQ2 in Geneva. It really is set up and tailored to the runners to get a BQ or PR. From the bottle tables, to the smaller race field, to the pacers(which ours fell off around mile 7), the flat course, the weather(usually it’s cooler than this time 70degrees at the start). It is run great by the organizers. I finally got my sub 3 and definitely attribute it to the course and bottle set up. You definitely feel elite when you run here. Geneva is a nice little town just 45 minutes from Chicago. Give this race a shot. You won’t be disappointed.

Don’t rely 100% on the pacers.

I felt like the course was fair and the set up was perfect. Plenty of aid stations. Plenty of Med stations. Plenty of opportunities to grab water and replenish. You're treated like an elite runner here and able to set water bottles out for yourself on tables. 10/10

Stick with a pacer if you can. I'm usually against it. But I found this being a smaller race. It was easier to see where the pacer was and stay right with him. Course was relatively flat. I would expect an early morning on race day being that the race starts at 6:30 AM. Which is also a positive thing.

Livia in Geneva was the perfect pre-race meal. Do yourself a favor and stay in a hotel nearby.

why is the race so effective at allowing dedicated runners to generate BQ results?

Cool temps (perfect time of the year, northern part of the country, shady course, frequent water stops - i dump water on my head, early 6:30 am start) Excellent Pacers- "Ronnie" and Clara were the 4:02 pacers from Dick Pond's team. They were exceptional. they consistently stayed right on the pace objective, they were constantly checking on how we were feeling, they were interesting, they made it fun, and they were always providing positive energy. no way i could have run ~7 min through my cut without them.

The course: loop course (bite sized 3mile pieces easier to consume mentally), shady course, cheering and positive vibe drinks groups, flat course, interesting course - not monotonous, VERY well organized with volunteers who obviously really care about our success. everything from pre race emails to bib pickup to race morning prep to during race drinks and positive energy to post race congratulations. Extremely well run.

Be positive. This race will allow all your hard training months to give you the best possible shot at a BQ. It's designed from the ground up to get you the time you've worked so far for. You shouldn't be surprised at the end when you've cranked out a time you weren't certain you had in you.

I like organization, nice details like bib including the qualification time or personal water bottles, volunteers, and very familiar course. Weather was perfect!

Be ready to a slight discomfort on the small gravel part on the first micro-loops.

The bathrooms on the opposite side of the river were with small lines.

Race was great. But my leg got pain. So had to stop. Everything was great. But. You need a 1000 more bathrooms. It was terrible. To wait in those lines. Why. You could have gotten 20 more. And have some there to clean them. They full to the top. It was terrible. But race was great!!!!! More bathrooms

Pace was good.

Have a lap countdown. For each pace group. Past finish line. Each group have a count down. Or up.

Well run, great support, terrific race. Everything designed to produce a BQ. Which it did for me!

Wasn't sure about the elite water bottle option but it really worked well. The 3-mile loop is "short enough" to make it feel like you're getting around and knocking them out quickly.

Definitely run the shake out course run on Friday. Knowing the course helped a lot.

This race is well-organized and relatively small, which makes for a comfortable experience with plenty of space to run. The first two laps are a bit tricky since they wind through a parking lot (and gravel), but the rest of the course is fast and spectator-friendly you get to see your family multiple times, which is a great boost.

One issue I encountered this year was with the pacing team. Around miles 6 to 8, they had fallen significantly behind pace and had to be told to pick it up. Unfortunately, they then surged ahead for the next 5 miles, running well under the target pace and dropping several runners, including myself. It was disappointing, though I appreciated that the race director addressed the issue.

The finish line experience is one of the best - ringing the bell was a highlight! Packet pickup the day before was smooth, and parking was easy and stress-free.

There were a couple of logistical challenges this year due to the bridge and street fest/farmers market, but the race directors handled it as best they could. One area for improvement is the number of port-o-johns at the start-only four were available (maybe 5). I arrived early enough to avoid issues, but it felt like an oversight given the crowd size. While there are other restrooms nearby, they're not very convenient.

Overall, despite a few hiccups, I would definitely run this race again.

More port of johns at the start and the pacing team needs to track their pacing throughout the first couple of miles. Fine to be off a couple of seconds, but they were running 20 to 30 seconds off.

Hotel discounts would be nice. Parking lot is accessible but when you arrive when it is completely dark, your little sign for parking is not well lit so people kept pulling in and then having to turn around.

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!

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.

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!

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.

Take advantage of their "elite" drinking station.

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.

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!

I absolutely loved this race! The course was flat and beautiful! The pacers were excellent! The elite aid station was my favorite. Having my specific nutrition in my spot was perfect. The weather was ideal. This was the inaugural year and everything went seamlessly. I cannot say enough awesome things about this race!

Pacers were steady and great encouragers. Course was 8 3.25 mile loops. Do not be afraid of this. It is long enough that you are not bothered by the loops but instead look forward to the next time you see your friend, windmill(yes, I said windmill), sculpted shrubs, river, etc. extremely organized race.

I strongly encourage anyone going to geneva for any reason to stay at the Herrington Inn and Spa. It was truly delightful right down to the homemade chocolate chip cookies and milk before bed!