The Chicago Spring Half Marathon was a great way to kick off spring! It was a well organized race with great weather. It took place at Maggie Daily Park and raised money for The Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Packet Pickup/Expo:

its packet pick/expo at Fleet Feet Sports Old Town. There was a small line but was well organized and the line moved fast. The people at packet pickup were very nice. Signing up for this race almost a year in advance, the people at packet pickup were understanding that I have gotten faster and they were able to change my corral placement with a proof of time from a previous race.

Pre Race:
Getting to the race was easy as we were able to park in the parking garage across the street. There was enough room to stretch and warm up before the race and the corrals were very organized. There was a long line for bathrooms that resulted in not a lot of time for stretching as they were strict about closing the corrals at 6:45 for a 7:00 start time.

Race:
The race started on time at 7:00. It started on Columbus but then narrowed about to The Lakefront Trail. At some points on course it got very crowded as there were half marathon runners and 10k runners running in opposite directions at about Mile 9-10. The crowdedness of the course resulted in a few minutes added to my target time but was still a fun race with a slightly hilly course with good scenery, good weather, and aid stations and clocks at every mile. The race also had photographers provided by Athlinks.

Post Race:
After the race you were given many refreshments and your finisher medal which included a spinning ferris wheel. Then you were led into the spring market which included vendors, a post race brunch, places to take photos and meet up with friends, and you even got a flower to plant in memory of your big accomplishment. Getting back to the car was a little confusing as we could not go the way we came as that was blocked off. It was a little confusing but we made it to the car.

Overall the race was great and will definitely be back next year!