First of all, I can't believe it's been almost 3 years since I ran the Halloween Hustle. I ran this more for convenience than anything else. I was in Illinois for work and was staying with family who happened to live in the Palatine area. I had just returned from a work trip in Colorado, and figured it could be fun to try a 5k.

This one happened to align with me schedule. I did packet pick-up the morning of the race, and it was easy. There's a lot of parking in a ramp and around the race course in general, so that isn't an issue at all. Shirt and bib pick-up was super easy and efficient.

I should note that the race shirt is always long sleeve with a different design and color. Honestly, this is my favorite all-time race shirt. That's high praise.

As you can imagine, being a Halloween race, there are lots of people in costumes. You have the occasional person in legit race gear, but for the most part everyone (even the leaders) wear some kind of costume, which is really cool to see! And yes, there is a prize for the best costume.

The race itself is very straight forward. It is a loop through a neighborhood in Palatine. I don't remember there being mile markers, but there definitely could have been, or they could have been added since I race this. And the course is FLAT. The only hills might be the various bumps in the road. Like I said, flat.

The after-party is the big draw of this event. And, no surprise, it's held at a bar. If I remember right, it goes all the way into the afternoon. It's a great venue, and it is basically a Halloween party, but just with runners and their families. The awards are done here as well.

It probably isn't worth a special trip to Palatine for this 5k, since there are tons of 5k races at this time of year. But if you're in the area, definitely sign up for the race! It's a good event, with a great shirt, and an excellent after-party.