The Chicago Spring Half Marathon and 10k took place on Sunday, May 18 with the half starting at 7am and the 10k around 10:45. I believe it was the third year for this race. It used to be held at the South Shore Cultural Center and went by 13.1 series or something like that, but they moved it up north in 2015 and called it Chicago Spring Half. They changed things up a bit this year, including a new start/finish location ON Columbus Ave. This helped a ton with congestion, as the old start was near the harbor and on the LFP the whole time, so very crowded. Definitely an improvement. Race day weather started out cloudy, but got sunny pretty quickly, and was in the low- to mid-60s with 80% humidity.

PROS:
+ Packet pickup was at Fleet Feet Old Town on Friday 4–8 and Saturday 10am–6pm. Friends/family could pick up your packet
+ Quality tech t-shirt and I really liked the simple design + color + fit
+ Gear check was quick and easy to use. When we finished the lines were REALLY long, but we went to grab our food and the line was gone when we went back. Unfortunately, my tag fell off the bag, but we were able to easily identify our bag in the 'missing tags' pile.
+ New race location – started and finished on Columbus Ave. This really helped with congestion, as the old start was very crowded and took a long time to thin out being that it was all on the LFP. Starting on a large street allowed for runners to spread out.
+ I was able to pre-pay for parking at Millennium Garage for $19 using Spot Hero (had to take the Randolph exit and enter from the North. The South entrance was closed due to race set up).
+ The start was in corrals for the half marathon based on your estimated finish time when registering. It was A–I. They were released every 4 minutes or so. My watch start time was 7:26 in H.
+ Plenty of aid stations on course
+ Clearly marked course with course marshals at turns and at the 10k/half split and the half turnaround.
+ Mile markers and clocks for each mile.
+ 10 aid stations with Gatorade and water + Gatorade Endurance energy gels at Aid Station D/G (approx. Mile 4 and Mile 8.3).
+ Pacers for: 1:30, 1:40, 1:45, 1:50, 2:00, 2:10, 2:20, 2:30, 2:45, 3:00
+ Finish line = awesome spinner medal, ice cold/wet towel, bottled water, bottle of Gatorade, Lays potato chips, bananas, and ginger teriyaki jerky.
+ Post-race party buffet (got in with a ticket on your bib) - you were able to make your own breakfast tacos with your choice of All Whites© scrambled eggs, veggies, bacon, sausage, potatoes and more. Also french toast sticks and some Dole fruit cups. More bottled water in the buffet area. The line was long, but moved quickly. Lots of stations set up inside.
+ Do it yourself flower station.
+ Lagunitas beer.

CONS/OTHER:
- To get your packet picked up by someone else, they needed a copy of your ID. I don't like having to give this to anyone other than my mom or husband, so I really wish a copy of race registration would suffice.
- The bathroom lines were LONG. I'd say with that crowd, there needed to be more portapotties. I think there were maybe 15?
- There was will call packet pickup for race day, but cost $25. A bit too much for me.

I really enjoy this race, and am happy to see they listen to feedback and improve each year. I'm looking forward to running Chicago Half in September and receiving my Challenge medal. I'll be back for 2018.