Registration: Registration was super easy as it is for all Rock n Roll events. I registered VERY early (possibly during one of their promotions) and got a highly discounted race fee. As it gets closer to the race online registration prices increase. It is possible to register onsite at the expo, but I believe it was almost $80 to register for the 5k.

Expo: If I could think of 1 word for it- it would be AMAZING! I love the quality of RnR expos and Chicago didn't disappoint. There were tons of vendors and freebies, plus a huge Brooks area with awesome RnR Chicago merch.

Swag: All runners received a short sleeved technical shirt that was specific to the 5k. The design itself was sort of boring, but the shirt is good quality. The medal was wonderful and heavy, as it always is for these events. I loved the design of it this year, so fun!

Start Line: There was a wave start that I expected to take much longer than it actually did. I was in one of the last corrals and crossed the starting line in maybe 5 mins, if that. It was well organized, though people did not stick to their assigned corrals. There was also no real enforcement of the corrals either, which was a little annoying.

Course: The course was absolutely stunning and was almost all along the lakefront. The views were spectacular and I really could not have asked for anything better. The only thing that was a little nerve wracking was the conditions of the paths that were used. They were very rutted with very loose stone. I saw more than one person fall. Fortunately, everyone was okay.

Aid Stations: There was 1 aid station for the 5k, which I thought was okay. There was enough water for everyone, so I can't really complain.

Other: For a Saturday morning 5k, there was still a ton of crowd support! It was wonderful and really uplifting to see everyone. There is no official parking, but a week or so before the event there is an email that goes out with multiple options for parking which was super simple to use.