This is my second time running the Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon. I absolutely love the course, but I am biased since I live in Chicago. :P It was an extra fun weekend because a lot of my BibRave Pro friends were in town :) I will say, this race does have a history of being really hot and/or humid and this year was no different. thankfully the forecast changed a few days before the race from nearly 100, to the 70s, but the humidity was awful. I still somehow managed a 2 minute PR, but was on pace for a 6 minute PR until I slowed down drastically at mile 10 due to feeling overheated. It was a good fitness check during Chicago marathon training regardless! :)

Pros:

-The course is super flat and gives you the potential for a fast time, although the hot/humid weather can be a barrier to this.
-I am so grateful they added extra add stations and sponge stations to the race because because I needed the water- I dumped water on my head every aid station.
-the volunteers are abundant and awesome-thank you!
-the spectators: so many at all points- you are barely alone and bonus points to all the Chicago cheer squads because I saw so many familiar faces
-medals: if you ran both the 5k and half you got a bonus medal and the medals in general are almost always awesome for Rock N Roll races
-Post-race party: fun and a lot of space to hang out and have some beers with friends

Cons:
-the shirts, I'm not a huge fan of the shirts, both the design and the fact that it is a dark colored shirt. I probably will not wear the shirt, especially in the summer, but who knows?
-the part of the race in the McCormick parking lot was hard to see and slippery- I feel like it slowed my time a bit
-the part of the race where the 10k and half overlap around mile 11 is tough to navigate. I felt like I had to dodge a lot of walkers and people taking up a lot of space in groups. Since I was still trying for a sub 1:30 and had fallen off pace, this demoralized me even more to dodge people walking and waste energy that way, but then closer to the finish it was nice that they had the half runners go left and the 10k runners go right. Wish they had done separate lanes the entire time there was overlap.

All in all, a well run and fun, but humid race. I did not get the sub 1:30 I had hopped for, but my 1:32 is still a 2 minute PR for my 4th ever half marathon. I had a fun time hanging with so may old and new friends and getting to view my city in a different way.