This was my first obstacle race, and it was a lot of fun! I loved the change from the basic road race, and not knowing what obstacles were ahead added an exciting challenge. Let me clarify that there is NO MUD involved, just running and obstacles - awesome. I did the Classic distance - 10.6 mi, and went in thinking the obstacles would be fairly easy. They started off not so bad - jumping through tires, walking across a balance beam, but then we got to the stairs. Around mile 6, you run 4x up and down Soldier Field stadium, and from there things get challenging. The monkey bars were spaced out and high, there was lots of jumping over high obstacles, using ropes to scale a wall, etc. If you can't complete the challenge, you're put in the time out box, and forced to do push ups, burpees, etc.

Expo - small, convenient, and quick. It was located in a hotel, not much merch or walking around, just a room with your bib, tee, and you're out. The tee shirt was a regular cotton tee shirt, which was great to wear post race.

Aid Stations/Cource Scenery - The course was awesome - we ran up Lake Shore Drive, around Navy Pier, around the museum campus, and through Solider Field. If done as a destination race, this course would be so awesome to experience as a tourist! The aid stations were quick and plentiful.

Overall, the race was managed really well. I was shocked at how quickly it flowed. All the obstacles were well marked, people were managing each station, and moved everyone along quickly. i was definitely recommend this to other people. It's one of the few obstacles course that does not involve mud and I was a huge fan!