the lonely miles: what happens between 18 and 24

By PaceKit Team · Updated April 2026

The Illinois Marathon's first 13 miles run through the University of Illinois campus and the neighborhoods of Urbana with strong crowd support, live music, and the energy of the combined marathon/half marathon field. After the half marathon split, the marathon course heads south into Champaign and down to Savoy, and the atmosphere changes.

Multiple runners describe miles 18 through 24 as "lonely," particularly miles 19 through 22. The course runs through southern Champaign neighborhoods and commercial areas with limited spectator access. The field is thin (remember, only 900 marathon finishers). The live music acts that dotted the first half are gone. The cheering families in their front yards are fewer. For several miles, it's you, the road, a few fellow runners, and whatever's in your head.

This is not unusual for mid-size marathons. Every race in this field-size range has quiet stretches. But at Illinois, the contrast is particularly stark because the first half is so good. The campus energy, the Meadowbrook Park scenery, the neighborhood support: they set an expectation that the second half can't match. Arriving at mile 19 after 13 miles of crowd noise and suddenly finding silence is a specific kind of mental adjustment.

The advice from experienced Illinois runners: know it's coming. Have a plan for the quiet miles. Music, mantras, form cues, countdown games. And know that it ends. The course returns to the University of Illinois campus area for the final miles, the crowd noise rebuilds, and then you enter Memorial Stadium. The finish is loud, the Jumbotron is rolling, and the 50-yard line is waiting. The lonely miles are the price of admission.