I love Rock N Roll races for the fact that I get to explore so many new cities on a pretty popular, tourist-destination filled route. RnR Chicago half was no different, though I think that in doing some of their shorter races, you would have gotten to see more iconic sites. The race took you through a decent tour of downtown, though you don't see the lakefront which I believe is part of the 5k route.

Expo and Swag: The expo was medium sized of the many RnR races that I've done. I thought it would have been a bit larger, but I think I was a little spoiled by the Vegas race. That being said, it generally had what I needed and I got to try quite a few new products. I would have liked a SIS booth, being that they were the energy gel sponsor of the course. There was a small display to purchase their products in the Brooks area. The packet pick-up process itself was pretty smooth and standard to their normal routine. The half marathon shirt was cute, and fits true to their normal sizing (a little small for the Women's fit but it's a tech shirt and they do let you know how the sizing fits when you register) and I'll wear it for my Fall/Winter training runs. You get a bag with a few small product samples, but nothing to write home about. KT Tape had a booth and was taping and educating runners on the process. They gave me a new way to tape my knee and the tape job that they did at the expo on Friday held up perfectly for the race on Sunday.

Access: We stayed at one of the race recommended hotels (Palmer House by Hilton) by the start line. It was a 5 minute walk to the start and a 10 minute walk back to the hotel after the race. That was a great decision and we didn't have to worry about having a car in the city or anything.

Corrals: The corrals were a bit of a mess. When I picked up my bib I noticed my corral was way off for where my predicted race time should have been. Someone at the expo was able to change it and they told me a lot of people had been coming to them with a similar issue. It took just a second to change, but that could have been pretty frustrating at the race itself. Race morning, the corrals were pretty small and the metal fencing was not wide enough to accomodate everyone that was supposed to be lined up together. They either needed to push the corrals back or widen the fencing, because I imagine that created quite a bottle-neck as people tried to push in once the starting gun went off.

Aid Stations: I thought that there was a good amount of aid stations on the course; about every two miles but I think the first one started shortly after mile 1? I bring my own hydration pack but I will stop if I feel it's running low or if I want to take gatorade. I wish there had been more SIS energy gels or that they were called out. I think they had them at two stops but I didn't see them until I had run past the water station and was dodging packs on the ground. I had thankfully packed my own but if I had relied on them I would have been pretty frustrated and would have had to run back to see who was handing them out.

Scenery: I don't know much about Chicago, but there were some fun sights that we ran past. I wish we had gone more along the park route where there are all the fun sculptures, or even the lake. The only issue I actually really had during the race was in the smile mile. The ground was a little wet from the rain and the 'posters' they put on the ground can get really slick. And they are pretty big so if you're passing while in a cluster of runners, you can't really avoid them. Entertainment on the course was good, though it didn't seem as supported as some other races that I've been to. I did love the Ferris Bueller stage though!

Elevation: This race was flat with some minimal inclines as you went over bridges and overpasses. I think the 'steepest' inclines were as your approached the last mile, but nothing too awful.

Finish Line: I don't think there were enough people handing out medals when I crossed through - I had to go out of my way to find someone to grab one, but I came in at a crowded 2:20 finish time.
Not a big deal, but something they might want to consider as it got congested as people tackled the couple of people handing them out.The finish chute had boxed waters (good), warm gatorade (not good), some various chips, and bananas. There was no chocolate milk at the finish which I've come to expect at RnR races. I saw there was a tent in the festival area (which I had immediately gone to), but was told they were already out by the time I got there... again, 2:20 finish so you'd think they would have been better prepared. No big deal, but I know people that love that as their post-race treat and it's become pretty expected for RnR.

I didn't stick around too long at the festival because it was such a HOT day that I was drenched in sweat. But they had a few vendors, merchandise booths, and massage tents. There was a decent line for the leg recovery sleeves.

Overall, it was a good race. They had a lot to deal with as the weekend was crazy hot, and storms were threatening Sunday's events too. I think if you want to get more of the city in, you would need to do the 5k as well. They did end up cancelling the 5k because of the weather but I understand that they are offering both deferrals and refunds for participants. They also gave them their medals at the end of the 10k/Half Marathon so you could still get them if you wanted them.