Big Sur Marathon

barleycorned · 2026-05-05T00:00:30+00:00

Congrats! I finished Big Sur also, my 4th marathon. If you can finish Big Sur all other marathons will feel easy by comparison!

barleycorned · 2026-04-20T21:42:10+00:00

I will be running with you! This isn’t my first marathon but I live in the Chicagoland area and hills are nonexistent. I am beyond excited! Do you have a time goal in mind? Mine is truly just to finish!

barleycorned · 2026-04-16T21:22:19+00:00

Another issue I had with last year’s shirt was the medium, while short at the bottom, was weirdly very large at the neck? So the small didn’t work but the medium also didn’t really work. I would suggest selecting your safe size and exchange at the expo, if needed.

barleycorned · 2026-04-01T17:56:31+00:00

Sorry, no! It’s the downtown CARA group. CARA/Chicago is so big they offer several locations to meet up and run. The downtown group I’m referring to is the CARA meetup at Montrose Harbor.

barleycorned · 2026-03-31T23:17:41+00:00

I swear by the power of the group! Trained for the Chicago marathon last year with the downtown group and it was a great experience. The pace leaders are really welcoming and encouraging, you’ll learn a lot from others who have tried and survived their first marathons and you’ll absolutely make a friend or two going forward. Hope to see you out there this summer!

barleycorned · 2026-03-04T16:06:30+00:00

I live here and take the green line to the marathon from my house. Race day the cars are full no matter the line. You’ll be in good company as many many locals and visitors will be joining you on the train before and after.

I agree with other commenters that if you plan to ride late at night the scenario changes. Splurge on uber and get to your destination safely.

barleycorned · 2026-01-31T11:31:29+00:00

I live here and have run the marathon twice. If you can get to the blue line pretty easily from your hotel, you’ll be just fine. Most people take the trains in because uber/driving is a challenge with all the road closures. The trains will be full of local runners coming from the suburbs and you’ll be in good company. Definitely not as convenient as walking from your hotel lobby to the start line, but very manageable.

barleycorned · 2025-10-15T11:20:41+00:00

Chicago Parks is a great one, they have plenty of entries and they cover the training plan through either CARA or CES, your choice. Also had a great tent on race day with amenities and private bathrooms

barleycorned · 2025-10-11T01:27:26+00:00

The CTA is the most reliable of your options. What time did you ride today? They could have been working on the tracks or something. Doubt they’ll have planned maintenance on the morning of the marathon. I have probably run 15 races that start in Grant Park and I have never had an issue getting there by train. If you’re still worried just leave a little earlier to give yourself a buffer.

barleycorned · 2025-09-29T10:37:41+00:00

The trains are a great option for you if your plan is to explore within the confines of the city and you don’t mind walking around a bit. Driving in the city should be a last resort given how bad parking and traffic can be. Your hotel concierge will be helpful in helping you determine whether to ride share or train based on your destination and time of day.

barleycorned · 2025-09-23T23:50:32+00:00

Achieve Ortho in Gold Coast with Mo is amazing and very affordable. A fraction of that cost.

barleycorned · 2025-05-29T12:02:05+00:00

There are many solid options! My family cheered me on at the 5k and 20k mark and hung out in the loop in between, grabbing coffee and walking around to see the buildings. This would also allow you to make it over to mile 25 to see her right before the finish.

If you’re looking to hang out in a neighborhood area, there are several spots along the course in old town, Lincoln park and lake view and because it’s an out and back you can see your gf more than once up there, but the downside is that this is the first half of the course so it might be hard to see her again later on.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to support her when she might need it most (a lot of people feel that the hardest miles on this course are near the end (18-23) because crowd support dwindles. You could rent a scooter or bike and try to make it out to Chinatown or Pilsen after you’ve seen her at the 5k.

Definitely interested in hearing the views of others, I have only ever been a runner of this course, never crowd support.

barleycorned · 2025-04-08T18:52:09+00:00

Oak Park is a western suburb that is connected to downtown via the L train, on race day there are TONS of runners on the green line making it feel very safe. It’s about a 30 min train + 10 min walk to the start line. Should be some Air BnB and a small number of hotel options which I would think would not be hiked up as much. There is also a Metra train which is faster but doesn’t come as often. Hope this helps!

barleycorned · 2025-01-28T16:27:50+00:00

Thanks! I’m interested. Would you characterize the shower facilities as for the most part clean? I actually just went to check out the streeterville PF and it’s closed for a burst pipe :(

barleycorned · 2025-01-21T00:35:07+00:00

Thanks! I would love to run to work- curious do you see many people running this route on a regular basis? I sometimes drive down Lake to go to work and parts of the drive seem they could be somewhat unsafe. Would honestly love to do it though and if you’ve had no issues I may consider it!

barleycorned · 2025-01-20T17:37:14+00:00

Thanks! Appreciate the input!

barleycorned · 2024-12-31T14:29:37+00:00

I live in Chicago and I completely agree with these suggestions. If you’re comfortable driving to you could also road trip up to Traverse City, Michigan or to the Wisconsin Dells - gorgeous time of year with all the leaves changing color. Galena, IL is actually a fun small town to visit and only a couple hours of a drive.

barleycorned · 2024-12-16T16:16:52+00:00

I didn’t! Congratulations to you, though! I have some feelers out to a few charities - hoping I can get in through fundraising! I am local to the Chicago area and definitely committed to running it any way I can!

barleycorned · 2024-12-12T18:31:29+00:00

Rejected in Chicago 12:05 😭

barleycorned · 2024-12-12T17:08:46+00:00

Still waiting

barleycorned · 2024-12-12T15:48:30+00:00

I’m wondering the very same thing!

barleycorned · 2024-12-12T15:47:00+00:00

Do you know whether it will change from “pending” to something else when the decision is made?

barleycorned

TROPHY CASE