This was my first time running this race. Shocker, I know. I shied away for so long because of the huge size for a relatively short distance. I live about an hour from downtown Chicago so getting into the city can be a trek.
When I learned they had a shuttle bus from the train to the expo, I registered. It worked like a charm for going TO the expo. The boarding place was well marked and easy to find and I waited no more than 5 minutes.

Expo: Nothing special. I thought it'd be larger than it was. It took me no more than 10-15 minutes to go through all of it. Here's where I ran into the problem: When I went to catch the shuttle BACK to the train, the next one wasn't for an hour, which meant I'd miss my train. So I took an Uber. Sigh.

Race Day. Heading downtown on the train was quick and easy. Gear check was seamless and so was finding our corral. Loved the rendition of the National Anthem!

The Course: This is sort of a mini version of the Chi Marathon course, which is really nice. It's a nice, quick tour of the city before making the trip up Mt. Roosevelt and finishing in the same spot as the marathon. The vibe is super fun and festive with so much GREEN! Aid stations were perfectly adequate. Spectators were on the sparse side but it didn't really matter.

The Swag: Nice Nike Dri Fit tee and a really pretty Celtic-inspired medal. LOVED the fun knit hat too! Can't go wrong with all that for an 8k!

Overall I loved this race and will be returning. It was a great way to kick off the spring racing season in Chicago