-->
Boston Cut-off Time Prediction Contest

Boston Cut-off Time Prediction Contest

Predict the 2027 Boston Cut-off Time and win a great prize and bragging rights among all your running friends.

Submit Your Prediction

Marathon Pace Bands

Marathon Pace Bands

Run the Right Pace in Your Next Marathon

Nearly 500 marathon courses.
Ships same or Next Day

Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers for 2026

Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers

It's here! Our annual list of the year's
best marathons to help you qualify for the Boston Marathon.

2026 IS HERE!



Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon

Geneva, IL
Sunday, April 11, 2027


  4.8 Stars from 6 Reviews
Top 50 Best Boston Qualifying Marathon for 2026

Course Description
The Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon course is run on the same course as the Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon which is held in the fall. It consists of 8 laps of a flat route along the Fox River.

The 3.05 mile loop course (plus start spur) offers plenty of shade, scenic views of parks and forest preserves bordering the river, and a glimpse of downtown Batavia.

The paved trail along both sides of the Fox Valley River is very flat.

April Other Marathons in April Other Marathons in Illinois Marathons near Geneva, IL



Marathon Pace Bands

Want to run your best Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon?

Don't waste months of training only to run the wrong pace.


Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon Pace Bands are adjusted for the specific terrain of the course, your goal time and pacing strategies.



Only $9.99




Race Information

Race Dates

2027: Sunday, April 11, 2027
2026: Sunday, April 12, 2026

Course Information

Profile: Very Flat
Type: Multiple Loops
Surface: Road/Pavement

Boston Qualifier?: Yes
World Marathon Major Qualifier?: No

Race Day Weather

Mean Temp.: 52°F (11°C)
Average High: 64°F (17°C)
Average Low: 40° F (4°C)




PR Score & Course Score

PR Score: 99.30
Course Score: 99.30

Race Size

2026: 124 Finishers
2025: 138 Finishers
2024: 139 Finishers
2023: 135 Finishers
2022: 117 Finishers
2021: 145 Finishers

BQ Percentages

2026: 40.3%
2025: 57.3%
2024: 59%
2023: 36.3%
2022: 38.5%
2021: 63.4%

Miscellaneous Information

Pace Groups?: Yes

Weather Averages for Last 9 Years


Race Day Temperatures

High: 66°F  (19°C)
Low: 44°F  (7°C)

Race Start Conditions

45°F  (7°C)
Humidity: 74%

Clear
S 7 mph

PR Score

98.41

Course Score

99.26






Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon Rankings, Course Speed & Boston Qualifier Statistics

The Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon was the 316th largest marathon in the U.S. in 2025 based on the number of finishers. In 2024, it ranked as the 305th largest marathon in the U.S..

In 2026, 40.3% of Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon finishers have achieved Boston Marathon qualifying times. In 2025, 57.3% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon.

Based on its percentage of Boston Qualifiers (BQs), the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon ranked 10th among marathons in the U.S. in 2025 and currently ranks 9th so far in 2026. In Illinois, it ranked 2nd in 2025 and 1st so far in 2026. These rankings provide a useful benchmark for comparing the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon with other Boston Marathon qualifying races.

The Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon has a Course Score of 99.30, ranking it as the 164th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 4th fastest marathon course in Illinois.

Typical race-time temperature and humidity levels are within the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. Combined with the course profile, this gives the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon a PR Score of 99.30. The PR Score ranks the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon as the 116th best marathon in the U.S. for running a Personal Record (PR) and the 3rd best marathon for a PR in Illinois.

Together, these rankings provide a quick snapshot of how the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon compares with other marathons in the U.S. and Illinois for speed, PR potential, Boston Marathon qualifying success, and overall participation.

Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon Marathon Rankings Summary
Course Speed164th fastest marathon course in the U.S.
Ranked 4th fastest marathon course in Illinois
Top 36% Nationally#4 of 10 in Illinois
PR Potential116th best marathon for a Personal Record in the U.S.
Ranked 3rd best marathon for a PR in Illinois
Top 25% Nationally#3 of 10 in Illinois
Boston Qualifier Rate10th highest BQ percentage in the U.S.
Ranked 2nd highest BQ percentage in Illinois
Based on 2025 Boston Marathon qualifying results
Top 3% Nationally#2 of 13 in Illinois
Race Size316th largest marathon in the U.S.
Ranked 9th largest marathon in Illinois
Based on 2025 results
Top 53% Nationally#9 of 13 in Illinois

Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.



Elevation Chart


Max Elevation: 695 feet (211m)
Min Elevation: 668 feet (203m)

Elevation Gain: 372 feet (113m)
Elevation Loss: 395 feet (120m)


Spring

Course updated 12/23/2025




Hotel & VRBO Accommodations for the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon

View available accomodations around the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon Finish Line and Course. Book your Reservation now before the best places are sold out.

For a better mobile or desktop experience:






Compare the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon to other Marathons

Use tools below to compare races and convert times across courses.

Do you want to see how the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon stacks up against other marathons?

Compare the details of the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon side-by-side with other marathons with our Comparison Tool.


Comparison Tool

If you ran the Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon in 4:19:00, what would your time in other marathons be?

See how your finish time would compare on other marathon courses with our Time Conversion Tool.


Time Converter Tool

Race Reviews


4.8
Based on 6 reviews
Write Your Own Review

Really well ran race

Full Review:

Excellently ran race. Great crowds and format with bottles. Pacers were top! Weather 60-80 degrees this year sucked but unfortunate luck.

Race Tips:

Pretty congested first couple miles on small loops. I’d start back and ease up to pace group after the start. Lots of tight turns and gravel stretches. One thing I wish I knew was this course is not very smooth. Half of it is very uneven for a bike/run/walk trail from what I expected. Wear a firmer/stable race shoe. My ankles and calves are destroyed from using typical softer supershoes and I dropped at 14 due to weather.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

Comfort Inn was great. Windmill Grill and Pizzaria in Batavia was excellent. Shoppes in Geneva are cool.
Reviewed by Notmyday About 2026

Great support, well organized

Full Review:

Course is very accessible, and because the field size is small, it's not crowded; which contributes to the fact that local walkers/runners/bikers are generally gracious with this event's use of their trail. As a skinny tallish guy, I have to say this year's race shirt is the best-fitting long-sleeved race shirt I've ever gotten. Bathrooms at the start are always a challenge at this event; they're about 2 portapotties short of what's called for. There's a public restroom, but bring your own TP; it ran out this year!

Support is great, and the loop format only helps with that. I didn't finish this year (and knew that I probably wouldn't), but because it's a 3-mile loop, I was able to show up and do as much as I could without worrying about getting a ride back :-)

Race Tips:

The power lines on the East side mess with your GPS; use the mile marker flags.
Reviewed by Chris Walquist About 2026

Excellent course with small town charm!

Full Review:

The course is fantastic! The volunteers and race crew were extremely helpful and incredibly sweet! Felt like a personalized, elite, small town race with all the small town charm. Less than 300 runners ran the race so it wasn't crowded at all.

Race Tips:

Pacers for each age group were absolutely fantastic and gave me the positive push I needed to finish under BQ time. The course gives you the luxury to see your support crew/family 8-10 times during the race due to the loops, which helps with getting through the marathon. The personalized bottle table is exceptional, offering fuel/hydration every three miles so you don't have to carry everything with you. Race day started on time and was a perfect 32 degrees with 41 dew point. Perfect race day conditions to BQ!

Travel/Logistics Tips:

Comfort Inn and Suites was only 2 miles away, which made packet pick up, shake out run course preview, and getting there race day morning easy to get there. Packet pick up offered a station to personalize your bottles and speak with the race director who was extremely helpful. Parking was simple, across the street. Arrived 40mins before race to warm up and had plenty of time to place my bottles and meet the pacers
Reviewed by Ashley About 2025

Great course, great race crew, and amazing pacers

Full Review:

Packet pickup was simple and personal. There’s a preview shake out jog after packet pickup the evening before the race. The start time was perfect at 6:30am. Small group of runners that have to have a qualifying race time to be accepted made it more personable as well. Lots of spectators and a great volunteer crew! 8 laps help you know the course around the beautiful Fox River. The post race was small town feel with PBJ and chocolate milk, as well as a bell to ring when you BQ. Everyone on race crew was extremely helpful and friendly.

Race Tips:

The Pacing Crew was fantastic. They pace 3mins faster than BQ time so you have a great chance to ring the BQ bell! The course features two small loops and 8 big loops through wooded areas, down town, and across bridges, but never gets redundant. Personal bottle table is fantastic so you don't have to carry all your fuel with you and plenty of opportunities for hydration and fuel. Or if you have someone that you want to hand you your fuel/hydration they can stay anywhere along the loop and have it every three miles. Race starts on time.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

Stayed at Comfortable Inn and Suites about 2 miles from the course, made packet pickup and race day easy. Arrived 40 mins before race to place my water/fuel bottles and warm up as well as meeting my pacers.
Reviewed by Ashley About 2025

Well organized marathon with a great course but mediocre chip-timing

Full Review:

It was a great race, even though the weather ended up being not ideal. Craig, race director, was very helpful with my many emails prior to the race. I really enjoyed having an elite style personal fueling table and also enjoyed the course very much (actually really liked that it was 8 loops - helped me know what to expect). The tee shirt material wasn't great but ultimately, I ran 3 minutes below my BQ time so that's the most important thing. What I didn't like was the company that was in charge of chip timing. It missed 1 or 2 of my laps and initially showed that I didn't finish the race! When I contacted the company, they were able to fix it quickly and show that I did finish the run, but my splits were totally messed up and they weren't able to fix it. Also, the email responses from them were short & rude.

Race Tips:

I think there were more than 10 people who started out in our pacing group (3:51 for 3:55 BQ time) and I was the last one to stayed with the pacer. There were 3 different pacers who took turns pacing. I was with the last pacer until 21.5 miles or so when the heat & wind got the best of me. I thought since I was the last person with him that he would try to stay with me and help pace me but he went off on his own. I finished 3:52:02 so I wasn't that far off. Kinda wished he would have stayed with me... oh well

Travel/Logistics Tips:

I stayed at Hilton Garden Inn in St. Charles since I'm a Hilton Gold member and it was fine. Nice, clean, spacious. Couldn't take advantage of their breakfast on the race day since they don't start until 7am. On Friday after we picked up the race packet, we ate at "Lao & Thai Spice Noodle" restaurant in South Elgin and it was great! I had Tom Yum Pho noodles along with their Laotian sausage and both were so delicious...
Reviewed by YC About 2022

Full Review:

The inauguration spring version of Last Chance BQ.2 has the perfect running weather, 40-50 with no or little wind. A small well organized race with friendly staffs.

Race Tips:

The course is flat 8 loops around a lake which helps mentally since you know what's coming for the rest of the race once you run the first loop. If you like a flat course and try to BQ, this is the race for you. But I found out the hard way that my legs don't respond well with super flat course, they cramped up at mile 14 and multiple times along the way. I pushed on and still PRed but did not BQ, missed it by seconds. Elite bottle table was nice so you can drink anything you've trained with without having to carry it the whole way. There are two additional water stations beside the elite bottle table so you basically have access to water almost every mile. Pacer for my group ran a bit fast for first half but not significantly faster. Paramedics on course are very attentive, if they spot runners in distress they will approach by running along side you and check if you are doing ok. I was in a really bad place for my last loop, Joanna (paramedic) approached and ran with me the whole final loop, encouraging and checking on my conditions. My legs gave out a few hundred yards before the finish line causing me to miss my BQ. But overall, a great race and excellent staffs!

Travel/Logistics Tips:

Race is in the park near downtown St Charles which has plenty of good restaurants to choose from. I went to Giordano's, not for deep dish pizza but simple spaghetti with marinara sauce. Good size portion and tasted great! Get there early so it's not too crowded since it's Friday evening. I went there at 5 pm and there were plenty of tables, by the time I left at 6:15 they were all filled up.
Reviewed by Anonymous About 2017