Entry through the organiser
Entry details on the organiser’s site →
The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.
Running Campustown? Do your long runs with the gel you will race on. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
Back to your race planner
Illinois Marathon
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Start
- 07:337:33 AM
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · Half marathon · 10K · 5K · miles
- Time limit
- 6 hours
The course
The marathon starts near the State Farm Center, runs through campus, loops through Urbana, comes back through campus, goes out into Champaign and south to Savoy, and finishes on the 50-yard line of Gies Memorial Stadium.
- Campus, Urbana, Champaign and Savoy, to the 50-yard lineCampus, an Urbana loop, Champaign, Savoy, then the stadium's 50-yard line.
- 18 hydration stations, oranges at mile 6.5, GU at mile 24.518 hydration stations, oranges at mile 6.5, GU and bananas at mile 24.5.
- A wave start and six hours after the last waveWave start at 7:33; six hours counted from the last wave.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GeometryCampus, Urbana, Champaign and Savoy, to the 50-yard lineCampus, an Urbana loop, Champaign, Savoy, then the stadium's 50-yard line.
The organiser says all of the races start and finish on the University of Illinois campus, that the marathoners also run through Savoy, and that the course is USATF certified (IL19001DT, valid until 12/31/2029).
Sourced
km 0 to 42.2Tactics18 hydration stations, oranges at mile 6.5, GU at mile 24.518 hydration stations, oranges at mile 6.5, GU and bananas at mile 24.5.
The organiser adds plenty of portable toilets at the start and along the course, and musicians, cheerleaders or other performers so that a runner is never more than a couple of miles from entertainment.
Sourced
km 0 to 42.2TacticsA wave start and six hours after the last waveWave start at 7:33; six hours counted from the last wave.
Runners who cannot finish in time are helped by bike marshals to a sag wagon for a ride back to Gies Memorial Stadium. The half marathon starts with the marathon at 7:33 a.m., the wheelchair half marathon at 7:31 and the 10K at 8:00.
Sourced
Race weekend
Bib pickup at Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), 201 E. Peabody Drive, Gym 2Thursday 22 April Bib pickup
-
16:004:00 PM–20:008:00 PM
Health & Fitness Expo Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), 201 E. Peabody Drive, Gym 1 -
16:004:00 PM–20:008:00 PM
Chip, number and race guide pick-up Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), 201 E. Peabody Drive, Gym 2. Shirt and goody bag pick-up is in Gym 1 at the same hours.
Friday 23 April Last bib day
-
10:0010:00 AM–19:007:00 PM
Health & Fitness Expo Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), 201 E. Peabody Drive, Gym 1 -
10:0010:00 AM–19:007:00 PM
Chip, number and race guide pick-up Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), 201 E. Peabody Drive, Gym 2. Shirt and goody bag pick-up is in Gym 1 at the same hours.
Other races and side events (2)
-
18:006:00 PM–22:0010:00 PM
4th Mile Kirby Ave between First and Fourth -
19:307:30 PM
5K run/walk Oak St, south of St. Mary's Road. Wave start; national anthem at 7:20 p.m.
Bib in hand?A number belt holds it without pins through your race top. Clip it on tonight.
Number belt on AmazonAmazon partner link
Saturday 24 April Race day
-
05:305:30 AM
Bag drop First St, north of the start line -
07:007:00 AM
Start line line-up First St. and St. Mary's Rd.. National anthem at 7:20 a.m.; the wheelchair half marathon starts at 7:31. -
07:337:33 AM
Marathon and half marathon start First St. and St. Mary's Rd.. Wave start. The 10K starts at 8:00 a.m. -
08:308:30 AM–14:002:00 PM
Post-race food Great West Hall, Gies Memorial Stadium. The Meijer 27th-Mile Celebrate Victory Bash runs on Kirby Ave between First and Fourth over the same hours. -
Time not published
Marathon time limit Six hours after the start of the last wave, an average of 13:43 per mile. Bike marshals connect runners to a sag wagon back to Gies Memorial Stadium. 6:00 limit: 8:31/km for 42.195 km6:00 limit: 13:43/mi for 26.2 mi
Times as published by the organiser, in Campustown time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Saturday
Race morning, on the record
We hold no start time for this race, so the record is read at 09:009:00 AM, local time.
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Campustown time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for Campustown, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7mile 4.4
- km 14.1mile 8.7
- km 21.1mile 13.1
- km 28.1mile 17.5
- km 35.2mile 21.8
For your long training runs:
Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.
Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.
Anti-chafe
Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml
An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.
Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.
Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Number belt
Compressport Race Belt
Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.
Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.
Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Electrolytes
SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20
One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.
One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.
Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Blister plasters
Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6
One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.
Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.
Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Illinois Marathon.
