MTD Pulse

Along with the cities of Champaign and Urbana, the Village of Savoy, and the University of Illinois, MTD is eager to welcome thousands of race participants and fans into our community for the upcoming 2026 Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend April 23-25.

With the influx of out-of-town visitors and the need to ensure runner safety, the Illinois Race Weekend may cause a few disruptions to residents’ normal weekend routines. This includes an impact on traffic due to road closures and the need to temporarily change bus routes.

MTD will publish reroutes throughout campus and surrounding areas beginning Thursday afternoon, April 23, and continuing Friday afternoon and evening, April 24, and beginning at the start of service Saturday morning, April 25. Before traveling, we urge passengers to expect delays and review the posted Marathon reroutes at mtd.org, or call us at 217.384.8188 for the most up-to-date information as race events proceed throughout the weekend. We thank you in advance for your patience.

All of the races start and finish on campus of the University of Illinois. The race starts near the State Farm Center and runs through all sides of the University of Illinois campus and some nearby neighborhoods in Champaign and Urbana. Marathoners will also run through Savoy. Races finish at the 50-yard line of Gies Memorial Stadium, except the Mile event, which finishes on Green Street, just east of Neil St. 

Marathoners will run through Urbana, Champaign, and Savoy before racing back to the U of I to the finish line inside Gies Memorial Stadium.

Thursday Evening, April 23

The Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend will include three days of events, kicking off on Thursday afternoon. To facilitate race packet pick-up, Peabody will be closed between First and Fourth between 3:15PM and 6:30PM.

The evening’s first race event is the Michael Hogue Team Mile, which will start on First Street just North of Kirby at the Grange Grove gate and travel north on First to Green Street, and west on Green to the finish line near Neil Street. The race will start at 7:30 pm. First between Kirby & Peabody, and Green between Neil & Locust will close starting at 6:00 pm. The rest of the mile-long route will close at 7:00 pm.

MTD reroutes will begin around 6:30PM, and will affect the 1/100 Yellow, 4E/W Blue, 5/50 Green, 10E/W Gold, the 14E/W Navy, and the 22/220 Illini. During these reroutes, passengers will be required to board and alight at marked bus stops. Organizers anticipate that runners will be cleared of all streets by approximately 8:00PM.

Friday, April 24

Race events begin Friday morning on campus, and conclude with the 5K Run/Walk and Fourth Mile Street Fest. Kirby Avenue between First and Fourth will be closed for the festival beginning around 12PM. MTD Weekday reroutes will also begin around 12PM, and remain in place until the end of Weekday service. This will affect the 14E/W Navy and the 24N/S Link.

The street festival begins at 6PM, and the race begins at 7:30PM. The 5K will start on Oak Street south of St. Mary’s Rd and proceeds to Gregory. Runners will run through campus using First, Green, Sixth, and Gregory streets before heading back to the Stadium. 

MTD Evening reroutes will begin around 6:45PM, and will affect the 100N/S Yellow, 50E/W Green, 9A/B Brown, 13/130 Silver, 14E Navy, 21 Raven, 22/220 Illini, and the 24N Link.

ARC, Ikenberry Commons and Transit Plaza will not be served by the 9A/B Brown, the 100N/S Yellow, the 130N/S Silver, or the 22/220 Illini. Lot E-14 will not be served by the 14E Navy in the 6PM hour.

SafeRides service within areas closed to traffic will not be available until after 9:30PM. Passengers are advised to expect additional delays.

During these reroutes, passengers will be permitted to board and alight at any safe intersection. Organizers anticipate that runners will be cleared of all streets by approximately 9:00PM.

Saturday, April 25

The full marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, and 10K events begin early Saturday morning. MTD reroutes will begin at the start of the service day, and will affect all Saturday Daytime routes except the 180 Lime. Course closure will start at 7:00am on First south of Green. Stadium Drive, Kirby Avenue, and St Mary’s Road will be closed to traffic east of Neil Street as of 7:00AM. Course maps and beltway maps are available on the race website: illinoismarathon.com. The race start time is 7:31AM for wheelchair racers, followed by full/half marathoners and marathon relay racers at 7:33AM. The 10K will start at 8:00AM.

MTD will serve areas in Southeast Urbana, the Urbana Meijer, and Orchard Downs with a 14-passenger van. The van serving Orchard Downs will only be able to serve the area roughly as far as Race & George Huff. Passengers need to cross the race route at Race & George Huff to board and alight the van. Regular routing is expected to resume at approximately 12:00PM.

During these reroutes, passengers will be permitted to board and alight at any safe intersection. Organizers anticipate that runners will be cleared of Urbana by approximately 11AM. Organizers anticipate that the Village of Savoy should be clear of participants by 1:30PM. Kirby Avenue between First and Fourth will be closed for a post-race celebration.

MTD Supervisors and Staff will be stationed on the streets throughout the community to facilitate passenger travel throughout the weekend.

To stay informed of service changes, we strongly encourage customers to sign up for personalized service alerts at mtd.org/account. Updates will also continue to be posted to social media (@rideMTD), or customers may call 217.384.8188 to speak with a real person for help.

Our team thanks our customers and community in advance for their patience, understanding, and continued ridership.