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 $150+ to register for the half marathon.

Expo: Like I said for the 5k, I LOVE RnR expos! They're so fun! I think my sister and I spent 2 hours just walking around and taking it all in. 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 I think was the same for the 10k and half marathon. The design itself was sort of boring, but the shirt is good quality and I'll definitely wear it when I run. I did the Remix Challenge this year (running the 5k on Saturday and half on Sunday) which earned me an extra medal. The medals are amazing and heavy. They're my favorites!

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 30 mins after the official start. This may seem like a bit of a wait, but after my experience in Philly when it took over an hour for me to cross the starting line, 30 minutes was awesome. Toward the later corrals I felt like they were not strict where people lined up and I definitely saw a lot of bib numbers mixed in. Overall, I don't find this to be a huge deal as long as people generally respect the "rules of the road" (i.e. stay to the right) but it can make for a hectic start.

Course: The course was SO fun! I grew up in Chicago and it was great to run through so many neighborhoods and past so many landmarks that I grew up with. I loved every second on it and appreciated getting to see a side of the city that I haven't really experienced before. There was a ton of on-course entertainment including bands and DJs. I also thought the crowd support was amazing at every point on the course.

Aid Stations: There was an aid station every 1.5 miles (or so). There were well stocked with water at every station and Gatorade at every other station. There was 1 station at about mile 7.5 with Glukos blocks and gels. There was another station at approximately mile 11 with soaked sponges. Those felt amazing at stage in the race! The volunteers at the stations were so wonderful and encouraging.

Other: 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. The only problem was that on Sunday morning the road closures made our chosen parking spot a bit harder to get to.