This review is for the 15k distance but many of the frustrations occurred before the race even started. As some of you may have heard, HC this year was a train wreck from the moment the expo opened.
Expo: Instead of having it at Union Station like the year prior, it was moved to McCormick Place. Awesome right? Big event center, plenty of space...etc. Well it was in the parking lot outside in November. Besides battling the cold, the line snaked around for nearly 3 hours before we even got close to the expo tent. They were also having computer/bib assignment issues so many runners had unregistered bibs heading into the race on Sunday.
Race Day: the CTA was completely overwhelmed that morning. I don't know if proper notice wasn't given to them from the race committee/city but there did not seem to be extra train/bus service that day. When an extra 20k people are trying to commute downtown, backups are going to ensue. There did not seem to be any corral accountability for seeding. I started in A and within a quarter mile, there were people walking. I have absolutely no issues with people walking/run-walking races. I do think it can create dangerous situations when these people are near the front with quick runners trying to get around them. The actual course changed this year and took runner under multiple bridges and along the train tracks heading south. It may have been one of the worst courses I've ran on in Chicago. We left right away after the race but I heard they ran out of finisher cups (chocolate fondue + fixings) again that year (I can't confirm this).
Afterthoughts: I really want to like this race and run it again. 15k's are hard to come by and it's a great distance for a race. However, I won't roll the dice on this one again. It's too expensive to chance and there aren't enough positive things to give it another shot.