Packet pick-up was super easy. It’s held at a local running store so you can buy any last minute necessities that you need. They let you pick up bibs for others and also have packet pick-up on race day. If you register early enough you can add a customized name to your bib. The shirts were very festive however, the sizing did not seem standard. Thankfully they have a shirt exchange – I swapped my women’s specific shirt for a larger size. The parking is your typical Chicago street parking. I arrived early enough to get a spot pretty close to the start/finish (i.e., just under ½ mile) but the spaces were limited! I highly recommend getting there early to find parking, or you might find yourself doing a 5k just to get to the start line! The course was pretty simple – nothing too exciting. You do get to run a tiny portion of the marathon course during this race, which made me smile! The course was clearly marked and had ample volunteers. I don’t recall seeing an aid station on the course. If you expect to need a sip of water or whatnot, you should probably bring your own. There was plenty of post-race activities going on… face painting, singing and dancing, foods, etc. The AG and overall awards were pretty cool. They’re hand painted sugar skulls! A local [art?] school decorates them each year. I know many people who run this race in hopes of earning one of these very unique awards!

I would definitely do this race again. It was a lot of fun to run a race in Chicago that’s not downtown, at Montrose or at Diversey Harbor.

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