The Shamrock Shuffle 8k was held on Sunday, March 29. The expo was held at a new location this year–McCormick Place–and was on Friday and Saturday. Packet pickup was easy, and I feel this race is always well managed.

Things I enjoyed:
+ They validated parking at the expo, so instead of $21 it was $10
+ Expo is held on 2 days
+ Lots of vendors at the expo
+ Fleet Feet sells official Shamrock Shuffle merchandise, which is all Nike apparel, and I love what they have every year (especially the tech half-zips)
+ 2 wave starts; 8:30 for the first half of the corrals and 9:15 for the last half (with some time between each corral) – this really helps keep the congestion issues at bay
+ Great SWAG - a tech shirt (which was a lovely shade of green), a finisher medal (new this year, it wasn't anything too elaborate, but was a bottle opener which is appealing to some), and lots of goodies at the finish line: Special K Bars, Sun Chips (original or cheddar), Applesauce in a pouch, bottled water, banana, and Gatorade in cups (no bottles)
+ The course winds through the streets of Chicago – I think running down State Street is a highlight
+ 2 aid stations with LOTS of volunteers handing out Gatorade at the first section of tables and water and the second
+ Easy to get to via public transportation
+ Post-race party in Grant Park with food, beer, and a band
+ The course is fairly flat – the only issues for me were running across the bridge on Columbus (the grate can be hard to run on, and I'm clumsy, so a it's a bit dangerous), and then the hill on Roosevelt. Other than that I think it's wonderful (love that it's on the streets rather than the LFP – different scenery + wider area for all the runners, which means less weaving)

Things I didn't like:
- the post-race beer was Michelob Ultra. Such great Craft Beer in Chicago, I would have preferred something better, but I've come to expect Michelob Ultra at the larger races.

So the only negative I have about the race was the refreshments post-race haha, but that is of course personal preference. Other than some crazy wind at times (not that that can be helped), the weather was great during the race. Maybe 20–30 minutes after I finished the sleet began, so I didn't hang around long at the post-race party. This was my third year running this event, and I'll definitely be registering again for 2016.