This year’s race was my 2nd time running this race. The first time I did it was in 2013. In 2013 it was held up at Montrose Harbor (?) and it was pretty cold out! This year the race was held at Soldier Field (“SF”) and the weather was perfect for racing. Although getting to/from SF isn’t the easiest, it was really awesome that the pre and post race activities were inside. I would definitely do this race again!

Pros:
-Instead of a race shirt, you received a hat and gloves. The hat was a nice heavy duty quality. You could purchase race apparel with your registration or at the race: $5 for a nice ¼ zip long sleeve running shirt.
-Packet pickup was at t local running store which is always nice for last minute necessities. Packet pickup was also available for nearly a week, although the locations varied throughout the week.
-The pre/post race activities were indoors. The start line was literally only a few feet outside of the door. Even though it wasn’t cold on race day, this was still a nice convenience. (Think: Real bathrooms!)
-The course was an out and back route south from SF. I don’t always like the out and back on the Chicago lakefront path but this race is a great size for this type of course. The views of the city on the way back don’t hurt either.  And it’s nice to be able to cheer for others during the race.
-The special treats that were handed out at the finish line were great: KIND bars, ClifBar minis (my absolute favorite!!!) and Organic Valley protein shakes! They had the standard bananas too.

Cons:
-Getting to SF isn’t always the most convenient. This is an issue with all races/events held at SF. I drove to the race and the wait to get into the parking garage took a little longer than desirable. There was only one entrance into to the garage for the race.
-The gear check area was in a room too small for the number of race participants, or maybe it was actually the ratio of gear check volunteers to runners. The line to drop off or pick up your gear was very long at certain points in time. The pick-up line was definitely much longer as race volunteers need to ‘search’ for your bag.