Lets Talk Chicago Marathon (Read 585 times)

So where is the best place to stay for this race.  ideally it would be nice if it was a reasonable priced hotel room, with a pool and close to the finish line.

Any suggestions?  Anyone else planning on signing up for this stupid race?

Loaded question.  Clarify "reasonably" priced.

Well for that area and for that time!  I know the prices go up pretty bad during that time.  I would like the best bang for my buck.  What would you suggest?

I stayed at the Hard Rock when I ran Chicago in 2011.  It was a little more than I wanted to spend but being able to walk to the start / finish without worrying about transportation on race day made it worthwhile to me.

For race hotels, there are so many options that it's probably best to break them into groups by distance:

1.  Downtown, south of the river: closest to the start/finish area, good number of options, very high demand during race, expensive to very expensive.

2.  Downtown, north of the river (Michigan Avenue): walking distance to the start/finish area (less than a mile), tons of options, pretty high demand, expensive to ridiculously expensive.

3.  Northside (Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, etc.): not walking distance, easy bus or L ride (or cab), quite a few options, reasonable to expensive

4.  Away (Airport, suburbs, etc): easy-ish transit but longer travel time, lots of options, very reasonable to expensive.

Logistics and transit for the Chicago Marathon are ridiculously easy, relatively speaking.  There's a simple way to get to/from the start/finish area no matter where you stay.  The only question is how long a transit time you prefer.  So, Arla is right: pick a place that you like and that is as close as makes sense for your budget.

P.S.  Feel free to stop by the Chicago Marathon group.  Plenty of race alums and Chicago locals lurk and answer race and logistics questions as they arise.

I'm thinking of trying this one this year as a change up from Twin cities. What do people think? Is this a fun race? Worth it, considering the price and crowds? I understand it's fairly flat, which would be nice.

If you like big city mega-marathons, Chicago is among the best of them.  The logistics are as easy as they come for a race of this size.  The course is flat and fast, as long as you start from a seeded corral.  Crowd support rivals or exceeds Boston and NY for much of the course.  It's also a great race for spectators; with a little effort, family & friends can see you on course at least 3-4 times through the race.  Finally, Chicago is a nice place to spend a weekend.

If you don't like big city mega-marathons, Chicago is horrible.  Its crowded, expensive, and has temperamental weather. If you start from the open corral or get stuck behind a giant pace group, you'll spend the whole race elbowing hundreds of strangers.  Finally, Chicago is overpriced and all the locals are overweight Bears fans.

I ran this race last year and just chose one of the hotels downtown that was listed on the race website (the Sax).  It was $200 a night and kind of strange in decor, but the location was perfect.  My plans were to take the transit to the start line, based on advice given to me, but I ended up following a crowd out of the hotel and "stumbling" on the start line.  I did enjoy being able to walk to and from the start I love Chicago, both the race and the city!

Does this seem like a good location to be at?

 

125 W Ohio Street, Chicago, IL 60654-7168 US

 

$209 for the night with free parking.  Has an indoor pool as well with double beds.

Location-wise its ok, not awesome.  It's a bit west, meaning you'll have a little longer trip to the start area.  Assuming you're in the seeded corrals, its about 1.5 miles to the start area (approx. Jackson & Columbus).  Add another 0.5 miles if you're starting in the open corrals (approx Balbo & Columbus).  Farther than some people would prefer, but hardly more than a 20-25 minute brisk walk.

I've been by the Best Western many times, but never in it.  Its not in the heart of the downtown action, and its not a new hotel, but that's why the rate is reasonable.

I ran Chicago in 2011.  It was a great race.  My time sucked, but that was due to a variety of factors.  Mainly because I was in the open corral and made the mistake of waiting too long to get INTO the open corral, so we were behind the 5-hour marathoners for miles and miles and miles.

Anyway....That's my one tip.  Get in the corral early.

Other than that....Chicago is a great city and they put on a fantastic race.  The crowd support (as others have said) is unbelievable.  The race is a great tour of the city.  I intend to go back someday and give a better effort.

We stayed at a hotel that isn't a hotel anymore....It was converted to apartments.  Got a great rate, just off Michigan Avenue, north of the river.  Rode the 51 bus basically to the start line.  Couldn't have been better.  Of course, that doesn't do you any good.

If you want to be downtown and experience all that, then I would just anticipate paying a little more and enjoy the experience.  If you don't care about that, then stay further out.  As others have said, transportation in and around Chicago is a snap.  So easy and convenient.  It'll take you longer to get downtown from way out west or farther north, but it won't be difficult.

Regardless, have fun and enjoy the experience.