C-U Hosts 10th Illinois Marathon

Organizers of this weekend’s Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon are expecting 15,000 thousand people to register for the event in Champaign-Urbana.

A spokesperson for the annual footrace says 14,400 had registered for the marathon and other related races as of Friday, and that the total was expected to settle at around 15,000.

The tenth annual running of the marathon and related races starts Saturday morning, April 28 at 7 AM. The related races include a half marathon, wheelchair half marathon, marathon relay and 10K Run & Walk.

The event also includes a 5K Run and Walk on the University of Illinois campus Friday evening, and a Youth Run for kids ten and under, Saturday afternoon at 3 PM at Memorial Stadium.

The Illinois Marathon takes a circular route through Champaign and Urbana. Street closures begin as early as 6 AM and lasting through most of the morning.

Marathon officials have mapped out a suggested Marathon Beltway as a way to travel around town while avoiding the runners. The Beltway runs along Staley Road on the west, Bradley Avenue and University Avenue on the north, High Cross Road/Illinois Rte. 130 on the east, and on the south, Windsor Road with a detour around Meadowbrook Park using Curtis Road.

You can find maps for the Beltway and the Illinois Marathon routes at illinoismarathon.com.