I registered for this race on the day before Thanksgiving, It was under $40 which was nice.

It took me about 30 minutes to get to Evanston from the City. I had no problems finding parking and was able to park for free two blocks away.

I walked to packet pick up with a friend and got my bib. It took me about 3-5 minutes to go through the line. I received my bag, bib, and hat. Inside the swag bag (reusable grocery bag!!) were two flyers, chapstick and a resistance band (BEST PIECE OF SWAG EVER!) The hat was really nice quality and I'll definitely wear it.

Race start was easy. You were able to walk up to the start, find some space to start and go. The race had 3 waves which was nice to keep people from being congested.
The course was relatively flat with a small incline and a small downhill. Mile 3 was incredibly windy running a long the lake. It also gets a little narrow at that part of the course too.
There was a small aid station passing out water with a few volunteers. Seems standard for a 5K.

Finish line was a nice straight away. Once you're done runners walk over to where they picked up their bibs for a granola bar, banana, and water. There was also a hot chocolate truck.

I don't think there could have been any improvements to this race.

I ran the Brewers Mini the first year and came back to run it as a training run for the NYC Marathon.

Registration was pretty easy and straightforward. We received a lot of race communication pre race. The main challenge was finding a course elevation map online.

Expo
It was packet pickup. Unfortunately they ran out of small shirts by the time I got my bib. There were a few vendors of other local races. The Brewers clubhouse also had a sale going on. Which was pretty smart on their end. I snagged a long sleeve New Balance shirt for $10.

Race morning:
I was running late and parking was a little slow, plus there was construction that started overnight that night to get into Milwaukee. They delayed the start of the race by about 10 minutes to accommodate for runners. I did a quick warm up and hopped into my corral.

The race was pretty well managed. The course is so hard and non stop hills. I got stuck running alone and trapped in long straightaways into the headwind. It was still fun though. I enjoyed running through Miller Park. Since the Brewers are my team it is fun to have Brewers themed swag.

I also happened to win an age group award which was a really nice trophy they engraved for me.

There were plenty of bathrooms and post race snacks. I didn't go to the post race event because I wanted to go home. It was perfect running weather.

What could be improved. Aid stations, hands down. Probably near the bottom of quality of aid stations for larger races I've done. There were multiple times in the beginning of the race where runners needed to run away from the main course to grab a cup. There was no consistency of which came first water or gatorade. Volunteers were pretty good, but logistically it was a pain for runners. I think for the most part when I rolled through they had just enough people for my pace group (sub 1:40), but I have a feeling later runners would have struggled to grab water etc at the aid stations

If I'm ever going to be critical on something it's going to be the aid station at a race.

My Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1642479405/

This race is worth the 7-8 hour drive from Chicago. I know why people love this race.

I got in Thursday and stayed at the official race hotel: Holiday Inn & Suites Duluth. This hotel knows what is up. They had balloons decorating the hotel, staff in marathon gear, and a runner's lounge with food for the day before the race that we could grab and put in our post race bags or eat the day before.

I paid the $25 to have my bib mailed to me since at the time I had no idea what my race logistics were, I hadn't booked my hotel before registering.

Expo: crowded but there were things you could get if you needed. I got salt tabs and my friends got some gels and sunglasses.

Race morning: I boarded the busses at the DECC. I don't remember how long of a bus ride it was. Exited the bus and there were so many port-o-potties and you could drop your bag in a garbage can corresponding to your bib number / each section had their own color. They have this system down.

Race started a little late I think - probably no more than a minute. The train kicks off the race which is cute.

Sunny at the start and then it got foggy and a little cooler. Which was nice. Pretty perfect racing weather.

Aid stations.... pretty good, but Blue Powerade was literally the worst choice for a sport drink. Gross. I didn't see what flavor they were serving up on the course either pre race. So I took a gamble and lost. There were clif shots somewhere on the course too. It was nice they had sponges and ice.

The course is not flat, it has some rollers. The worst one being the downhill under the bridge around 24ish. Every single person around me made some sort of OUCH noise. Lemondrop hill wasn't as bad compared to that downhill part.

The course is marked really well with massive balloons, it was fun to hunt down each balloon.

Post race you get your medal, shirt, heatsheet, and food. They had bagels with nut butter, clif bars, banana, strawberries, orange juice, and more things. I can't remember.

I ended up in the medical tent. They were so great. Feeding me pretzels, Powerade, sprite, and taking care of me until I stopped shivering and cramping.

I got to the expo super late around 30 min before it closed. It looked like it was a nice expo, large with a lot of vendors and a photo booth. Parking and access was easy. I didn't browse much since I wanted to go to my hotel to eat and sleep. They had a pasta dinner runners could buy a ticket for. Participants received a nice drawstring bag and a long sleeve shirt.

Saturday Morning:

I stayed at the Fairfield Marriott about 15 min away. Checkout was at noon which was nice. I was able to go back and shower. Driving access to and from the race was easy. I parked at the State Farm arena and it was free and easy to get in and out.

Gear check, this was confusing for me in the morning. You dropped everything in a truck (it wasn't obvious) and then they sorted it inside the stadium.

The race started without a hitch. There were a few corrals and I was in A. These pacers were probably the most accurate I have experienced in a race.

Course roads were well maintained and I did not notice any section that was really bad. The course was flat and produces some good times.

My only complaint is the aid stations. Each one was set up different. Some had gatorade second. Some had water on one side and gatorade on the other, some had water first. You get the picture, there wasn't any consistency which can be frustrating. That being said the volunteers were great, cheering on runners and handing off cups like pros.
There was an orange aid station and I think they had other food too, unsure. Also a gel aid station.

Running into the stadium was fun! The finish area was one of the best I've been apart of. Runners can hang out on the field and take photos, stretch, and wait for their friends. Or they can sit in the stands. Which is cool. A lot of races kick you out as soon as you finish. As you walk into the stairs volunteers gave you an electrolyte drink that was really good, so if you remember what that was let me know. Inside the stadium was a ton of food, cookies, chips, granola bars, pizza, milk, pasta, beef jerky, and probably something else. After runners leave the stadium there is the post race party with beer. I didn't stay around for that, since I wanted to get to my hotel.

Full marathoners received finishing blankets which is amazing. All finishers received a medal and a heatsheet.

Another bonus: FREE PHOTOS were available within hours of the race finish.

This is my 5th Drumstick Dash. Modified 2016 post.

SWAG: Each participant receives a LONG SLEEVE COTTON T! I am a huge fan of long sleeve cotton t-shirts, especially in winter. This year was light blue with a new Turkey logo. For $5 participants could upgrade to a long sleeve 1/4 zip. I opted for the cotton t-shirt because I love them

Aid Stations: One station about half way through, all that is necessary and just water. I did grab water today because I felt like it was necessary. I wish there was water or Gatorade pre race. None of the bubblers worked today inside Miller park and I left my bottle in the car.

Course Scenery: I love running around Miller Park. As always, it is a nice change up from the Chicago Lakefront trail, neighborhoods, etc. One of my favorite parts of the course is running on the bridge to get to the stadium grounds from the general parking lots.

Expo: Same as previous years. A few cut outs to take pictures. Other Vision events were there. I think you could sign up, but not sure. Performance Running Outfitters was also there, they were selling product and promoting Black Friday.
- Expo is only open until 3PM

Elevation Difficulty: There is a GIANT hill (to me) and a few little rollers and it's an uphill sprint to the finish. Some tight Hairpin turns make it fun!

Parking: Super easy, free parking at Miller Park! Can't beat it!

Race Management: Vision is always fantastic! Volunteers were great.

Other:
Post Race Food was a banana, cookie, and bottle of water.
Miller Park is open before the race, you can go to the bathroom sit, etc.
First three men and women get an award.
Self-seed Run, Run with Stroller, Walk, Walk with Stroller

The Racing Sausages and Bernie all come out for photos after the race

I know Feeding America was collecting food on race day.