This was my first race at the half marathon distance. The course was great, I was a bit nervous with it being a back and forth course but surprisingly it was an awesome course. Shutting down LSD for the race was a great addition to the course as well leaving the course wide and open and un-congested.

The weather was perfect! Cool and sunny in the morning. I was very happy that the race went off at 7am rather than 8 because the sun can get hot very fast out there on those open roads.

I got there are 5:20am and found parking right across front he starting line within seconds, so I absolutely recommend going early if you plan on parking as spots were disappearing quickly.

Post race celebration were great, there was an infectious vibe in the air.

I also really enjoyed how they kept the Half and 5k races separate on the finishing straight away. There is nothing more frustration than speeding into that final straight away then having to dip and doge other runners in the shorter race.

The Expo was a bit dull...I went on Friday after work and thought the packet pick up could have been marked better, and it was so far down on Navy Pier.

Over all the race was fantastic and I can't wait to run it again next year. It was the perfect race to get motivated for the Marathon next month!