Frequently Asked Questions

• Is the Fox Valley Marathon a Boston Qualifier?

• I’m a first time marathoner, is this a good course for me?

• What do the runners get?

• Is the Fall Final 20™ a competitive race? Will there be awards?

• Will there be gear check?

• What about aid stations?

• Will there be Pace Groups?

• Will the Fox Valley Marathon be longer than 26.2 miles?

• What is the course time cutoff?

• Is there an early start?

• Is there a wheelchair division?

• Is the course closed?

• How can I sign up for your e-newsletter?

• Do you have a list of hotels with special marathon rates?

• Am I registered for 2012?

• Can I transfer my race entry to someone else?

• Can I change my registration from one race to another?

Is the Fox Valley Marathon a Boston Qualifier?

Yes. If you’re trying to qualify for Boston we know how important that is to you, we are USATF certified course (#IL10070JW in 2011, 2012 forthcoming). See our 2013 Boston Qualifying information.
We’ll have pace groups again in 2012, with many of them timed specifically to help you reach your Boston Qualifying goal.

I’m a first time marathoner, is this a good course for me?

Toiletpaper volunteers ABSOLUTELY! We love first time marathoners. It’s a scenic, flat course that runs mainly along the river. Unlike other larger marathons you don’t have to fight a large number of runners in the race. Also unlike other marathons you can train on most of the course all summer right up to race day so you’ll be familiar with it. There are numerous, easy to get to spectator spots all along the course so your fan club can easily find you and cheer you on. We’re here to help you reach your goal of becoming a marathoner!

What do the runners get?

Each registered runner will get a cool long sleeve gender specific tech race shirt, goodie bag, and on-course aid stations. Every finisher will receive a great medal, after race recovery food and a finisher’s certificate.

Is the Fall Final 20™ a competitive race? Will there be awards?

For the Fall Final 20™ there will be first through third place awards for Overall Female, Overall Male, Masters Female, and Masters Male. The Fall Final 20™ is designed as a training run for an upcoming marathon. Since racing the 20 would be detrimental to most runners' marathon goals, there will be no age group awards for that race.
The Marathon and Half Marathon feature Top 3 overall awards like the Fall Final 20, and also include Age group awards which are 3 deep for Male and Female runners:
24 and under, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-70, 70-75, and 75 and over.

Will there be gear check?

gear check volunteers Definitely. Your goodie bag you receive at the expo will serve as your official gear check bag. There will be convenient drop off and pickup near the race start/finish area. More information coming soon about packet pickup and gear check.

What about aid stations?

clifshot Our 18 on-course marathon Aid Stations feature:

water and Gatorade
port-a-johns
qualified medical personnel
Gel at the 14 mile aid station of the Fall Final 20™
Gel at the 14 and 20 mile aid stations of the marathon
orange slices at the 17 mile aid station of the marathon

Medical Staff at the Finish Line On the course there is a qualified physician or medical person at every aid station. If you are in need of assistance, get to the nearest aid station and someone will help you. If you cannot get to an aid station please alert a passing runner who will let someone know at the nearest aid station. All medical personnel will be wearing a red medical shirt as well as their race credentials.

Our Medical Director has put together a medical guide for our runners. Please take a look at it to find out what medical services will be available on race day. There is also a reminder of how you should hydrate before, during and after your race, and details of our storm safety plan and more.

Will there be Pace Groups?

Yes. We will have pace groups for the marathon, the half marathon and Fall Final 20™.

Meet the pacing team at the Expo. Sign up to run with a pace team (it's free to join), then find us in the starting area ready to go on race day!

2012 Fox Valley Marathon Pace Groups
3:10
3:15
3:25
3:30
3:40
3:45
3:55
4:00
4:30
5:00
2012 Half Marathon Pace Groups
2:00
2:15
2:30

Pace groups may be added or adjusted based on runner goals at registration.

Every marathon I’ve run is longer than 26.2 miles according to my Garmin. Will the Fox Valley Marathon also be too long?

All USATF certified courses are certified that the distance is not short. In fact the USATF has a 1/10th of 1 percent factor built in to make sure the marathon course is not short. This means all certified marathon courses measure 26.246. When courses are measured for certification they are measured on the tangents. It’s not possible for a runner to run the exact tangents and as such your Garmin shows the distance you actually ran vs. the certified, measured distance. You will run a longer course.

What is the course time cutoff?

For the full marathon and the Fall Final 20™, the course road blocks and aid stations will begin closing at a 13:45 per mile pace, or a 6 hour total marathon time. Half marathon course time cutoff is 3 hours, a 15:00 minutes per mile pace.

Is there an early start?

All races will start at 7:00am, with chip timing and a multi-wave start to minimize race course congestion.

Is there a wheelchair division?

Unfortunately the course does not accommodate wheelchairs at this point.

Is the course closed?

No, there will be other runners, walkers, cyclists, and dog walkers along the path as well. Please be careful and respectful and, hopefully, they will do the same.

I am signed up for the race and I want to receive e-mails. How can I sign up for your e-newsletter?

Click here to receive our e-newsletter.

Do you have a list of hotels with special marathon rates?

We have compiled an extensive list of local hotels (PDF format) with special deals for our runners and their families.

Am I registered for 2012?

You can confirm your registration at Marathonguide.com (link to be provided soon).

Can I transfer my race entry to someone else?

For legal, logistical and insurance reasons all registrations are nontransferable and non-refundable as stated in the waiver you signed when you first registered. Please note that according to USATF rules transferring or selling registrations or bibs is not allowed and both runners will be disqualified and banned from future events.

Can I change my registration from one race to another?

This is the most frequently asked question beginning in June through race day. Starting this year, the WeatherFlex Option™ is the ONLY WAY to change between races. So sign up for the WeatherFlex™ Option if you could face any of these situations as race day approaches…

Your training does not go as well as planned and you’d like to drop to a shorter race
You suffer an injury during your training but still think you can run a half marathon
You’ve conquered the Half and would like to try something longer, but you’re not sure if you’ll be ready for the Fox Valley marathon or Fall Final 20™ and are afraid registration will fill if you wait too long to decide.
This is your big year. You’re training all-out, and want to double your chances for good weather for your fall marathon. (You’ll need to sign up for another marathon too: Chicago, Grand Rapids, or another marathon.)

Choose the WeatherFlex Option™. We’ll buy bibs, timing chips, and medals for all 3 races and be ready whatever you decide.

Watch your training and the weather forecast, and at Packet Pickup, you tell us which Fox Valley race you’d like to be entered into:

the full marathon if your training and conditions are right for your first marathon or a great Marathon time,
the Fall Final 20™ if you’d like to wait for better conditions at your 2nd fall marathon and would like to stay in peak shape with another 20 miler,
or the half marathon if the summer did not go quite as planned but you still want a great finisher medal and to keep your streak of consecutive Fox Valley finishes alive for the great Endurance Awards.