I was looking to target a half marathon right around the beginning of October, and this one caught my eye because of its location in a seemingly beautiful (I'd never been there before) state park just 50 miles from my location on the North Side of Chicago. I tried not to think too hard about the "hills" part and focus on the beautiful scenery while I was training, but be warned: it's hilly.

I didn't want to drive all the way out to McHenry more than once, so I did packet pickup on race morning. This was very easy, as it's such a small race--there were a max of 400 runners, and I don't think they maxed out. It was chilly and a bit windy, but that was the perfect weather for me to run a half marathon and I was warm within half a mile or so.

The race map was really confusing. I looked at it over and over again, and eventually decided I wasn't even going to try to figure it out, and would just go by the course marshals. There was a race talk before the start and the organizers said there would be plenty of people at each crossroads, directing runners, so I decided to leave it to them. This was a fine choice--the course *was* really confusing, and I was often second-guessing where I was, and where I would be going next, but the course marshals were always there to tell me so it really didn't matter.

The views were just about consistently beautiful, and you run through the woods, up and down hills, along marshland, along a dam, on higher and lower ground, around a lake and some other water features, etc. There's a good variety of scenery, and while the leaves hadn't really begun to change yet to fall colors, it was lovely. I saw several egrets at a pond, tons of ducks, lots of furry caterpillars, and even a tiny snake on the path.

For the first 6 miles, the 10k and half marathon run the course together, and after they split apart, the half marathon field gets a lot less crowded--not that it was ever crowded where I run at the back of the pack. But for the last few miles of this race, I was frequently alone on the course, not in view of anyone else.

I ran alone for the last 2+ miles, and when I got to the finish there were a handful of people there, including my boyfriend. There are a few spots for spectators to watch, so the race is "spectator-friendly" in that sense, but as a runner you will only see people a couple of times (and there aren't many people).

The long-sleeve tech shirt was nice, although unisex. Organization was great, tons of water and gatorade (and plenty of aid stations), bathrooms along the course are real bathrooms for the state park, and there's plenty of parking. And places to eat afterward in nearby McHenry.