The F3 half is a total race made by runners, for runners. It's a no-frills, small Chicago race to help get people out and running when they want to stay inside under the covers.

Pros:
+ Great race for anyone training for a spring marathon (or spring races in general).
+ For people not training, it's a great reason to keep up with your winter running regimen
+ Relatively low-cost for a Chicago half marathon
+ Plenty of water stations
+ Officially timed
+ Fast and flat course
+ A huge feeling of camaraderie with the other runners who sign up for this type of race
+ Indoor gear check, bathrooms and pre- / post-race in the United Club
+ Strong charity ties (this race donates more to charity than many non-profit races do)
+ Focus on the running (and beer) and not on the frills and swag (honestly, I have so many race shirts and medals that I do nothing with, I think this is a good thing)
+ Multiple places to pick up your packet over the span of two weeks
+ The medal is a beer bottle opener, which means this is one of the only medals that I will do anything with. I love it.
+ Free race photos. Always awesome.

Could improve:
- The post-race party is off-site, though there is free transportation to get there
- This year, there was a snafu with getting the race swag in, so a lot of people will have to go to running stores next week to get their race shirts/hats. I did like the beanies they have had in years past over the technical beanie they gave out in 2016. But, like I said, I'm not a huge swag person anyways so it doesn't matter much.
- The route is a simple out and back on the lakefront path, so nothing too new if you are from the Chicagoland area. It's still more fun to run it with 2,500 other people though!