I've done this race every year in its existence, and this year's course was by far the WORST. There was so much weaving in downtown Chicago, we were just going around in circles for miles and miles, which was really annoying. There weren't any bands until mile 6 (which I didn't notice until someone pointed it out to me), but they usually stink anyway. That and the fact that this race takes place in July mean that PRs are pretty unlikely, unless you are running so fast because you just want to be done!

Rock n Roll races are pretty cookie cutter (City for Dummies), so everything was standard - expo, pre-race, post-race snacks, shirt, and medal. One thing that was not great was the start corrals - there were no fences around the start area, so you could basically start wherever. I was running with some friends in the back of the pack, but if I were more in the front, I would assume there would be a lot of weaving involved.

The medal and the shirt this year really went above and beyond, and are right up there with my favorites. I really do like this race, I would just appreciate more straightaways and less loop-de-loops in the Loop next year!