This is a great winter race, and it draws an amazing crowd of Chicago's most dedicated runners and running organizations. I was surprised by the major turnout and the awesome pre-race buzz and runner talk inside the United Club.

Race day was 29 degrees with a slight wind. We kept warm in the united club until about 10 minutes before the race and then lined up outside. We ran down along the lakefront through the Burnham Wildlife Corridor. There were some cool trees that had been carved into sculptures along the way and crowd members with fun signs. The course was mainly flat (an excellent place to PR) with a few mild hills along the way. Aid stations were frequent, had port-o-potty bathrooms, water, and gatorade. The volunteers were amazing and always cheering us on, despite the fact that they were probably so cold! The last mile was downhill (love when this happens). The finish line was stocked with perfect recovery foods. I grabbed a cinnamon raisin bagel, a banana and some gatorade (though there was also muscle milk, hot chocolate, pita chips, etc.). The only thing I wish had been better was the parking. Because it is Soldier Field, there probably isn't much that can be done about this, but the lines to park ($19) took a long time. I left my place in Lakeview at 8:45 and didn't get into the United Club until 9:40. So leave early!

Overall, amazing well-put together race for real Chicago Runners.