Did you know that when you sign up for the Rock N Roll 5K and the Rock n Roll half you are then the recipient of a third, more awesome medal? I definitely recommend signing up for all three races and if you sign up early on, the races are infinitely cheaper.

The downside to the 5K: course is a little boring. Starting off at Grant Park you turn onto the Lakefront trail and then head back to Grant Park. While this might be cool for an out of towner, if you run in Chicago it's the same old views you get everywhere.

This year's race seemed fairly small. I was in Corral 4 which, as an average runner, seemed a bit far up, but when I arrived and saw few people I understood why. Overall it's a decent 5K though if you are an avid 5K runner then I would say skip this one as it is not super special. There was only one band along the course and you could run this path for free on your own.